


From The Shadows

by Commandernanata



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Dominant Kylo Ren, F/M, Kylo Ren Angst, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Loss of Virginity, Misuse of the Force (Star Wars), Muteness, Possessive Kylo Ren, Protective Kylo Ren, Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren Spoilers, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, Top Kylo Ren
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:07:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 44
Words: 191,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28265886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Commandernanata/pseuds/Commandernanata
Summary: You are a mystery. Facts about your own history and past are unknown even to you.Since a young age you have been Force compelled to be a mute and to linger at Supreme Leader Snoke's side, answering to his every beck and call. Your place entirely unclear. Some believe you to be a maid, some believe you to be the Supreme Leader's "pet", and other's whisper that somehow, you are his child.Life has been filled with very little joy... that is until *he* arrived. Snoke's new apprentice. A man whom you're drawn to, but the two of you forbidden from interacting... that is until Snoke allows you some freedoms from the prison of servitude he's kept you in.
Relationships: Ben Solo | Kylo Ren/Reader, Kylo Ren & Reader, Kylo Ren/Reader
Comments: 62
Kudos: 176





	1. Who Am I?

You awoke as you always did, your eyes fixated on the plain metal ceiling of your cell like room. Rolling over on your cot that was crudely kept on the floor, your eyes focused on the clock that also sat on the floor. Perfect, you were awake a half hour before your alarm.

You sat up on the soft mat and ran your fingers though your long, and at times unruly hair. You internally groan feeling that there was a massive knot at the nape of you neck. Getting up, you stretched and rolled your shoulders, your itchy and ragged nightgown straightening out and the hem falling to your toes.

You flinch as your feet hit the cold metal floor of your room, making your way towards the 'fresher. The shower hissed and whistled as you turned it on. You take a moment to stare at yourself in the mirror. _Who am I?_ You thought to yourself. It was a question you asked yourself every single morning of your known existence.

Sometimes, you were plagued by dreams at night. Dreams that felt so vivid that you might think they were real, or that they had been memories. You could almost never remember them to their entirety. You only remembered flashes. Last night you dreamt of the meadow again. A meadow was always something that your brain fixated on.

You dreamt of a meadow, gathering flowers, and feeling excited... excited because the flowers were supposed to be meant for someone, but who? That was all you could remember, that, and the shining armor of Captain Phasma. You had spent countless hours trying to figure out why Phasma and the meadow were always connected.

Pulling your nightgown off over your head, you stepped into the stream of hot water, the warmth helping to wake you up. Once your hair was saturated, you reached for your plain bottle of shampoo. For a product that was supposed to be scent free, it sure did smell. You grimaced as you lathered up your hair, and you relaxed as the bubbles washed away. It was the same for the conditioner.

You now got to work combing though that knot in your hair. Oh how you wished you could cut your hair. You wished you could do many things, but _he_ wouldn't let you. He being, Supreme Leader Snoke.

You went through the motions of combing through your hair, all the while thinking about the things that you knew for certain. Your mind at times felt like a screen, a piece of metal with blank holes blasted though it. There were things you knew and remembered, and then there were whole blocks of time that were just blank.

You knew your name. You knew your age. Most importantly, you knew you were valuable.

You guessed you were about twelve when you first met Snoke, which meant after all these years you were now in your twenties. Your life prior to meeting Snoke at twelve was an entire mystery to you. You had no idea where you lived or who you were before then.

You remembered that for a while Snoke treated you special and that you hadn't always been confined; although you had no idea _why_ you had previously been special to him. You also remember that you used to be able to talk, although you couldn't really understand why Snoke got mad... or was it disappointed? He ended up taking your voice away using The Force.

Once you were satisfied with the knot being combed out of your hair, you washed the rest of yourself and exited the shower. You dried yourself off, braided your hair into a long plain braid, put on your plain undergarments, and clothed yourself in one of the four items of clothing bestowed upon you.

Of the four dresses you had, you could choose between black... black... black... or... black. At least each item was slightly different. Today you chose one of the only dresses that showed that you at least had a body under it. It was high collared, long sleeved, covered you down to your toes, and had a sheer robe to wear over it

You assessed yourself in the mirror one more time and pinched your cheeks in order to bring color to them. You sighed, oh how you wished you could have just a _little_ bit of makeup... or body lotion at least. You had seen other females on the ship walking around, some appeared to have products that enhanced their eyelashes, cheeks, and lip color. You had gotten close enough to a female officer once that you could smell a fruity fragrance. How you wished you could smell and look like that.

You weren't plain by any means. In fact you knew that the male stormtroopers and officers whispered when you walked by. You once heard a female officer remark on you face, whispering and saying you looked "angelic". You just wished you had... a little bit of luxury, even if it was just in the form of scented soap.

You checked the clock one more time. You had an extra fifteen minutes to spare, enough time to take the long way to Snoke's quarters. You smoothed out the fabric of your skirt and departed from your room. You kept your hands clasped in front of you and your head lowered as you submissively walked though the halls. Snoke taught you that that was the only appropriate way for you to walk. You kept your eyes low, trying not to catch the eye of anyone who you came across.

Taking the long way to Snoke's quarters meant that you could stop for a minute or two at the large windows that looked out into space. The Supremacy, Snoke's ship, has been the only home you've ever known. You only knew the vastness and coldness of space.

A group of Stormtroopers were lingering by the windows, you could see how their helmets were pointed in your direction. It made you uncomfortable, so you took your leave, walking in haste towards Snoke's chambers.

Stationed outside The Supreme Leader's chambers were two praetorian guards. They nodded their heads to you as the blast doors opened at your command. The guards and yourself were the only ones who had access to this part of the ship.

Snoke's chambers were always kept much cooler than the rest of the ship, you had no idea why. You shivered as you adjusted to the change and you went to your spot. If you weren't at your spot before the Supreme Leader arrived for breakfast, he would be furious.

You leaned slightly against the wall, your hands still in front of you, your eyes slightly lowered. You waited. To your right, a droid entered the room carrying yours and Snoke's breakfasts. You still waited.

At last the golden blast doors to Snoke's sleeping chambers opened. He exited and met your eyes.

"Ahh... puppet... good morning." He said, making his way towards the large table where you shared Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner with him. Once he was seated, you got to work. You scurried over to the droid and prepared Snoke's plate. You curtsied as you presented it to him, placing it in front of him. Then you waited.

He took a few bites of his food, made a noice of satisfaction, and then motioned for you to eat as well. You took your plate, and sat in the chair next to him.

"Did you sleep well?" He audibly asked. You nodded your head yes.

"Very good. I am glad to hear of it. We have a busy day ahead of us today." He began before taking another bite of his food. It was a cruel joke, him taking away your voice, for he very much liked to talk to you for some reason. You knew things about the First Order and the Galaxy that you probably shouldn't, and maybe that was why he force compelled you into silence. You nibbled at your breakfast while he rambled on about the day's plans.

There would be a meeting with dignitaries from the outer rim.

There would be a war council meeting.

There would be an update meeting about Starkiller base.

And finally... the last thing caught your ear.

"Kylo Ren and General Hux will be gracing us with their company this evening. You always look forward to their visits don't you Y/N? It's always comical, seeing two grown men bicker and argue." Snoke said, you just nodded and gave off a small smile.

Hux had been your friend once upon a time. Back when you could talk. You had been children together, he a few years older than you. There once was a time when it was Hux who was assigned to be your companion. You thought of him as an older brother... or at least you used to. Something along the line changed as you two came into adulthood, he grew cold and distant with you. Then you lost your voice, and he stopped having anything to do with you all together.

"I also... have a gift for you." Snoke said, interrupting your thoughts. You perked up and knit your eyebrows together, wondering what he could possibly be bestowing upon you. You watched as he snapped his fingers and one of the Praetorian guards that guarded the interior walked forward and placed a black box in front of you.

"Go on... open it." Snoke motioned. Nervously you picked at the box, lifting the lid, revealing inside a datapad. You sat them all over the ship, almost everyone had one, you had never been granted one before.

"A datapad. Just for you! You may access _some_ of the galactic web, watch _appropriate_ dramas, and read _acceptable_ literature." He said, you clutched at the datapad and hugged it. A huge smile spreading across your face. This was the most he has ever given you! You knew that the datapad most likely had the best security on it, and that your freedom with it was surely limited and monitored, but still... you could at least have entertainment during your quiet hours alone.

"I am so glad you are happy. It makes me happy to see you happy... my dear puppet." He said. You clicked on the datapad and the screen lit up, it was going to take you a while to figure out exactly how to use it, but you had plenty time you spent locked away in your room when Snoke didn't need you.

Snoke snapped his fingers and the guard that brought your the datapad stepped forward and took it from your hands. You frowned at this.

"We have meetings to attend to. When you go to your room after lunch you may play with it... is that understood?" He asked. You nodded your head yes.

"Very good. Let's get our day started. We have an important dignitary meeting." He said, rising from his seat. You waited until he was the appropriate five paces ahead of you before you got up. You covered your head with the close of the robe on your dress, and you followed him dutifully from the room.


	2. Intrigued

The first two meetings of the day were dull and boring. You discreetly leaned against the wall where you stood in your spot in the council room and closed your eyes. Everywhere you went with Snoke, you always had _your spot_. A place where you either sat, knelt, or stood in obedience until you were needed.

In the council room you stood against the far wall, in the corner practically, directly behind Snoke and in the throne room you sat on the ground behind his throne, hidden away. You heard what sounded like the closing statements for the meeting Snoke was currently attending, and your eyes fluttered open. All in the room rose to attention the moment Snoke began to stand, you stood straight and shook any grogginess from your mind.

"Come puppet... it's time for lunch." Snoke said as he passed you. You waited the appropriate 5 paces before you followed him. Back in his private chambers, he groaned and sighed as he sat down at the table. You dutifully waited for lunch to arrive, when it did, it was the same as with breakfast. You served him first, waited for him to tell you it was ok, and then you sat and ate for yourself.

You listened intently as Snoke went on about the meetings. Sometimes you had opinions about what his advisors said, but for obvious reasons you kept them to yourself. _Occasionally_.... very occasionally, Snoke would ask you for your opinion. That was when he would use the force to peer into your mind, allowing you to answer with your thoughts.

This was your life. Your sad, mundane, repetitive life. A constant shadow behind Snoke, his little pet, his companion. You often wondered what your purpose even was. Did you just serve as company for him? He never touched you, not that you ever wanted him to, he was creepy, even after all these years constantly at his side.

You pushed your food back and forth on your plate. You didn't eat much these days. You ate only enough to calm hunger pains.

You had long stopped listening to whatever Snoke was goin on and on about, that was until he shook the table to get your attention.

"You're tired. Go to your room, nap. I expect you in the throne room for our meeting with Hux and Ren. Don't be late." He commanded. You immediately rose from your seat and scurried out of his private rooms.

Finally... time for yourself.

Making it back to your room, you were delighted to find that your new datapad was on your cot. You laid down and clicked it on and began to play around with it. You had no idea where to start first. You began to browse different features and capabilities. Eventually you found your way on to the Galactic web. You sighed when you saw that most of the websites you had _heard_ other officers whisper about in passing were blocked.

You did find one however, some sort of holo sharing site where you could watch different kinds of holos. You clicked on the first one you saw. There was a picture of a woman with long hair like yours, it was some sort of tutorial on how to braid. Captivated by it, you watched and lingered on every word she had to say.

Eventually the minutes clicked by and before you knew it you had watched over a dozen of such videos by that woman who taught you new things to do with you hair... and makeup... if you _had_ makeup.

You looked over at the clock and realized you needed to hurry to the throne room for the meeting with Hux and Ren. You put the datapad under your pillow and left your room, rushing through the halls.

When the doors opened to Snoke's throne room, you were taken aback to see that Kylo Ren was already there. The visor to the helmet he wore went directly to you, his eyesight following you as you crossed the room. His whole body turned as you moved, keeping you in his line of sight. This made you blush.

You remembered the day he came. It was long before he wore that mask. You were barely nineteen and he was in his early twenties, it was also around the time Snoke had taken away your voice. You remembered you had been sitting behind Snoke's throne, in the very dress that you wore now. You had zoned out and you were just waiting to be told you could retire for the day. Instead you heard the door to the throne room open. You heard boots. Then you heard his voice. His voice alone had been enough to alert you.

You peeked out from behind Snoke's throne, and for the briefest moment... your eyes locked as he was listening to Snoke go on about Darth Vader. A blush rose to your cheeks then as well. He was so handsome, and so very nice to look at. But then Snoke ordered him into that mask to hide his identity, and that was the last time you ever saw his face.

You had had a few encounters over the years, despite the reputation he had, he always was pleasant with you. You even had a few run ins with each other in the elevator that led to Snoke's throne room. The first time that happened you wished you could crawl in a hole and die.

The man was massive compared to you, towering over you. He looked at you, you could feel his intense stare on you even though his mask. Then he spoke. You then realized that he hadn't been informed that you couldn't speak. So you were left there looking stupid, smiling and then pointing to your mouth and shaking your head no. The rest of that elevator ride was agony.

"Hello." You heard him finally say as you climbed the stairs that led to Snoke's throne. If the two of you were alone, he always at least said hello and nothing more.

You turned and smiled at him, and then waved before you darted behind the throne, sitting down on the ground and fanning your skirts around you. You'd like to think that sitting down with your skirts all fanned out elegantly looked nice.

You heard the doors to the throne room open again, so you peeked out from behind and saw that it was Hux. He marched as he always had with his hands behind his back and a scowl on his face.

"Hello Y/N." He said addressing you. You gave him a faint smile and a small wave. You surely didn't give Hux as big of a smile as you had given Kylo only moments before.

You had grown up with Hux, at one time the two of you had been thick as thieves. Those days were long gone. Now you barely knew him, and he treated you with coldness.

The doors opened again, and Snoke entered the room. You rose to your feet and curtsied, holding that deep curtsy as he approached his throne. Hux and Ren on the other hand immediately fell to one knee. Snoke waved to you and you took your spot once again on the floor. The boys on the other hand... they had to stay kneeling.

You smiled to yourself. Did you being allowed to sit mean that you were the favorite?

From behind the throne you heard Snoke start to address the men, asking them questions allowing them to answer. There were several points where Snoke was displeased with them and he showed it. Raising his voice on multiple occasions, startling you and making you jump. You heard as they went back and forth, Hux then Ren, then Hux again. Eventually... as they always did... the two men started bickering with each other over nonsense. Snoke eventually intervening.

After a long while, Snoke dismissed Hux and it was now just you... Snoke... and Kylo. The praetorian guards were there too... but you never really counted them as company. Like you, they never spoke.

Snoke and Kylo then went on about Kylo's force training and various things about the force. These conversations were always so interesting to you... so very intriguing. You didn't know why, you weren't force sensitive... that you knew of. If you had been, surely you also would be receiving training from Snoke just like Kylo was. Yet, something inside of you was always so curious. You listened intently.

Snoke then started to go on about Luke Skywalker... some mysterious man who's very existence vexed both Snoke and Kylo. Kylo was supposed to find this person, yet as of yet he hasn't, and it displeased Snoke. This was the part you hated the most.

You hated when Snoke criticized Kylo and was harsh with him.

You didn't know why, Snoke was critical of Hux and others too. Yet when it came to Kylo, part of you got defensive.

"I'm finished with you today! Return to your ship. But first..." Snoke began, you could hear him shifting in the throne and you felt it jostle against your back.

"Escort Y/N back to her room." Snoke ordered Kylo. You were a bit confused, but you obeyed, getting up and facing Snoke. He reached out with his large, bony hands and took yours.

"I'm tired, puppet, I'll eat alone tonight. You'll have dinner alone. I hope you don't mind." He said, his voice changing into a softness he only showed when he spoke to you. You smiled and nodded your head before he let go of your hand. You curtsied and then nervously walked over to Kylo. His cape swung, catching the fabric of your own as he turned to walk side by side with you towards the elevator.

He reached his hand out, placing it at the small of your back when the elevator doors opened. You felt a slight pressure as he urged you forward, allowing you to enter the elevator first. The doors shut and now it was just the two of you. You audibly sighed.

He looked down at you and he too audibly sighed. You wished you could talk. You felt like you had much in common with him. Both of you, servants of Snoke, albeit in different capacities.

The air was thick with tension between the two of you by the time the elevator doors reopened on the floor you resided on. You didn't exactly know why. He had said nothing to you, he just stood there, close to you, close enough that you could feel his body heat.

When the doors opened again, he again placed his hand at the small of your back and gently urged you forward.

The two of you walked through the halls, you knew he had better things to do than to escort you back to your room like some lost puppy. Which begged the question: why did Snoke tell him to do this? Snoke allowed you to walked to and from your room alone. Maybe this was part of some sort of twisted punishment for Kylo. You didn't know, but you didn't complain. It was nice to walk with someone.

When you rounded the corner you saw that Hux was pacing by your door. He looked up and saw you... then saw Kylo... and then looked displeased.

"Y/n" He said looking at you. You looked between Kylo and Hux. You turned to Kylo and smiled and shrugged. Since you were unable to speak you managed to find ways with your facial expressions to convey messages.

"You're welcome." Kylo said, understanding your meaning. He then departed, leaving you with Hux.

"You look thin." Hux began, you responded by rolling your eyes.

"Have you been eating?" He asked.

You nodded.

"Have you been eating _all_ your food?" He asked.

You motioned with your hand "so so".

"Ughhh... you need to eat... you're wasting away." He said.

You audibly sighed and rolled your eyes. Why did he care? He had stopped caring long ago, treating you with coldness, sometimes pretending like you didn't exist.

"I know you think I don't care Y/n, but I do. We were friends once. You are like a sister to me, and it would be irresponsible of me if I didn't check on you. You need to eat. You need to eat _all_ your food, not just some."

You mouthed 'ok!' to him and he nodded.

"I'll see you next time." He said, before departing, leaving you all alone.


	3. Her

**_Kylo's POV_ **

The doors to the throne room opened and Kylo turned to look.

It was _her._

Kylo fixed his eyes on her, watching her as she crossed the room, heading for her spot up next to Snoke's throne. From the moment he arrived and joined Snoke, she always mystified him. She was a true mystery that no one knew anything about, and someone who Snoke kept heavily guarded.

Kylo once asked about her... once; and Snoke just about bit his head off. Snoke forbade him from ever inquiring about her in such a manner again.

In Snoke's defense, back then, Kylo had ulterior motives. He found her then... as he he still did now... to be utterly captivating. Snoke sensed Kylo's inappropriate thoughts and punished him for it. So he tried his hardest to never think of her and to never look at her when they were in Snoke's presence.

But Snoke wasn't here. He hadn't arrived yet.

Kylo's eyes followed her. He had to say something, so he greeted her. She _smiled_ and waved at him. He froze, a warmth spreading in his chest. She was always so pleasant, so kind, so trusting. What about her made her unbreakable under Snoke's rule? What about her made her so _special?_

_Who was she?_

She had been here long before he had ever arrived. For the longest time Snoke didn't even acknowledge her to him while the three of them were together. She was just like a little shadow that followed Snoke around. She was an utter mystery.

Was she his child?

Was she his maid?

Was she his _pet?_

Whoever she was, she was important and valuable. Snoke made sure to make that point clear.

_"Perhaps I'll give her to you one day, my boy."_ Snoke said one time. One. Time. He didn't know what Snoke meant by that, but boy did he allow his imagination to wander.

Hux didn't even know much about her. Kylo asked. Hux said that she arrived one day when they were children. That he was told to watch over her, but when she came of age Snoke ordered him to no longer have anything to do with her. Even Hux got protective over her; snapping at Kylo, telling him to stay far, far away from her.

He watched as she arranged herself in her little spot behind Snoke's throne. She was a little ethereal thing, the way her arms and nimble fingers moved, her long hair, and her doe like eyes, how she arranged her dress to be just so as she sat down.

The doors to the throne room opened again and Kylo stiffened up, but it was only Hux. Hux too greeted her, she gave a curt smile and a wave. Not nearly as nice of a greeting as she had given him. Kylo smirked beneath his helmet.

Finally Snoke arrived and Kylo kelt before his master. Thus began their official meeting.

Starkiller based was discussed at length, as was the topic of the Resistance and the Republic. Snoke wanted updates on the war effort. Of course Hux had an answer for everything. Hux like to theorize about things, yet he never wanted to actually get his hands dirty. The dirty work always fell to Kylo, and Kylo made it known that Hux's plans were often over thought, too complicated, and not realistic.

Soon the two men were bickering. Snoke quickly put a stop to that and dismissed Hux.

Now it was just Snoke... Ren... and _her._

Snoke began a lesson for Kylo, talking about the force and the mysteries of The Dark Side. Briefly, Kylo looked over to that little corner next to Snoke's throne where she was. He could see her occasionally peeking out, listening intently, almost as though she also wanted to be taught.

Soon the lesson took a turn and Kylo's master became critical. As always he took the criticism and would mentally beat himself up later. Kylo looked over in her direction, she had a look of concern for him all over her face.

Soon enough, Snoke had grown tired and was about to dismiss Kylo, but not before giving Kylo an odd request.

Take _her_ back to her room.

Kylo froze as he watched her stand. Snoke always spoke softly and gently to her... it was strange. Dismissing them both, Kylo turned just as she reached his side. What kind of cruel joke or trick was this? Without thinking, Kylo reached out and put his hand at the small of her back, guiding her into the elevator.

This had to be some sort of test. Surely Snoke was still aware that Kylo had the occasional thought about her. This for sure was a test.

He stood so close to her, he could see her chest rise and fall with each breath.

Why did Snoke force compel her into silence? Kylo tried to imagine for a moment what her voice sounded like. He bet it sounded smooth like velvet, soft and feminine. He imagined what it would be like to hear her say his name, to speak to him, to whisper to him, to _beg_ for him.

Through his mask he observed her. She was petite, much shorter than he was. He wondered what it would be like to touch her. Was she warm? Was her skin soft and smooth? Was she ticklish? Did she bruise easily? He desperately wanted to know.

The elevator doors opened and he placed his hand at the small of her back again. Unable to control himself from touching her in the most innocent of fashion. They walked in silence until they reached her room.

Much to Kylo's annoyance, Hux was there.

She turned to him and gave him this look. He knew what that look meant. She was thanking him. For someone surrounded by such harshness and who's sole companion was the dark lord of the galaxy, how was it that she was so kind? How was it that she sparkled fearlessly?

"You're welcome." Kylo said before leaving her with Hux. He wanted to look back. He did. He wanted to see her face one more time. Yet he kept going.

The few moments with her would no doubt haunt his thoughts for weeks to come. He would think about her every night as he lay in bed trying to fall asleep.

Who was she?

Why was she so special?

Would it ever be possible for her to be.... _his?_


	4. What's Your Opinion?

The days and weeks that went by after were always the same. You had a routine that barely changed. You now found yourself standing in your spot in the council room listening in on a discussion regarding fuel mines and the fact that there was a Black Spot Virus outbreak in one of them.

The First Order had an abundance of resources. To your knowledge there were probably a hundred fuel mines throughout the galaxy. These mines were critical in keeping the Navy fueled and powered up at all times. It would be detrimental to The First Order if a large number of those mines became compromised.

One of Snoke's Generals nonchalantly mentioned that there was a Black Spot Virus outbreak in one of the mines that he over saw. Workers were falling deathly ill and either they couldn't work, or they were dying. This General proposed that they start bringing in new workers from other mines to temporarily work while the sick workers recover.

You couldn't help yourself, you rolled your eyes and audibly huffed. You then suddenly realized your mistake.

"Puppet... do you have something to say?" Snoke said, turning towards you. You immediately felt all eyes on you. The color drained from your face and you felt instantly cold and sweaty.

You shook your head no.

"Oh, come now. I know you have something to say." He said, extending his hand to you, motioning for you to come forward. You nervously stepped forward, grateful that you had your hooded cloak covering most of your face. You gave him a nervous smile as he raised his hand, pushing aside your cloak and cupping the side of your face.

You then felt The Force probe into your mind. You were so accustomed to this, you knew not to fight it, for if you fought it, it would be painful.

"Go on, Puppet, what's your opinion?" He asked.

_It would be foolish to bring in workers from other mines while there is an active Black Spot outbreak. It would only expose more workers to the virus and spread the virus to our other mines. If the virus spreads, more mines could be compromised. The virus should be contained now._ You shared your thought with him.

"Hmmmm... go on... how should we do that?" He asked.

_The mine should be temporarily shut down and all workers quarantined, treated, and vaccinated for the virus. True, for a short while revenue would be lost from that one mine, but it is a very small price to pay compared to what might happen if multiple mines were compromised._

You watched as a smile spread across Snoke's face. He dropped his hand and waved for you to resume your spot.

"Y/n is so smart. She is the smartest person in this room. I should dismiss you all and have her run the Galaxy on my behalf. Perhaps one day she will. General, you will shut down your mine, quarantine your workers, treat them for the virus, and roll out the vaccine." Snoke ordered.

"But Sir, the mine will be out of commission for up to a month if we do that!" The General protested.

"We can survive the temporary closure of one singular mine, what we cannot survive is a wide spread pandemic across multiple mines. Close your mine, that is an order!" Snoke snapped. The General looked defeated.

"Enough about all that, you all are dismissed. Leave!" Snoke said. You watched as the entire council gathered their belongings and scurried out of the room with their tails between their legs.

"Come Puppet... You deserve a reward for your intelligence." Snoke said.

***

Your reward consisted of chocolate cake and a book. The book was some sort of women's romance novel, you had never read one before, but you didn't care, it was something new. Snoke allowed for you to sit comfortably in a chair in his quarters while he took his afternoon nap. You were allowed to browse on your Datapad and start reading your book.

You felt like a little kid, all pleased and happy with yourself that your idea was the best. You had a pleasant smile on your face as you scrolled on your datapad and nibbled on your cake.

You had begun to really, really enjoy watching hair and makeup tutorials on your Datapad. You found them to be relaxing and you even started to try some of the tutorials yourself. You didn't want to go too crazy. You already knew how Snoke felt about your appearance. He said there were "reasons" you weren't allowed to cut your hair, own anything fancy, or have an assortment of clothes. He wanted you to be dignified, anything else was just frivolous.

Suddenly the doors to Snoke's sleeping chambers opened and he emerged. This caught you off guard, you hadn't been expecting him. He looked tired, exhausted even, and dare you say... weak? You were genuinely concerned. You were concerned because you were old enough and wise enough to realize that there was a strong possibility that your existence solely depended on him. If something were to happen to him, what would happen to you? Who would take care of you?

"Come Puppet... Kylo Ren will be here shortly." He said with a sigh. You followed him to the throne room and you went to take your seat in your spot behind the throne.

"No... here... beside me." Snoke stopped you and motioned for you to stand directly to his left. You were confused for a moment, but you obeyed. A few brief moments went by before the doors opened and Kylo entered the room. He immediately knelt down before the two of you and looked up.

"I have grown weary, and I need some time to get away." Snoke began.

"Your health and wellness if of the utmost importance, Master." Kylo said.

"Indeed... indeed it is. I will be retiring to my Planet, I intend to rest for a few days, up to a week."

"Do you need me to accompany you?" Kylo asked.

"No... I am leaving command of The Supremacy and daily operations to Y/n." Snoke said. All at once it was like the air was sucked out of the room. You stood there baffled and you turned to look at Snoke, your eyes wide with both wonder and confusion. No. No, this could not be. He could not leave you in charge.

You immediately looked at Kylo, the same look of confusion on your face. You wanted him to know that you had no idea about this, this was just as much of a surprise for you as it was for him.

"Y/n... in charge? Surely Master..."

"DO YOU DOUBT MY JUDGEMENT!?" Snoke said, raising his voice.

"No Master, not in the slightest."

"Good... Y/n will be in command of the ship, and _you_ will assist her. I trust the both of you to see my wishes thorough in my brief absence."

"As you wish."

"And you will apologize to Y/n. Y/n is a pupil to me just as much as you are. She is the brains... you are the brawn." Again you looked at Snoke, surely he was exaggerating, you weren't _that_ smart.

"My apologies... Y/n" Kylo said, you just smiled and nodded your head.

"Very good. I leave tonight, after dinner. You and Puppet with assume duties in the morning. I'll leave you two to figure everything out together." Snoke said, flicking his wrist and dismissing Kylo. Kylo rose and the viewfinder of his helmet went right to you. Even though the mask you felt his intense gaze and you couldn't help but feel so small. Surely The Master of The Knights of Ren was angry with you.

***

**_Kylo's POV_ **

A week. A week alone with _her_. This had to be some sort of test or a trap. It surely was going to end in either his demise or her's. Snoke was testing him, surly. There was no other explanation.

He knew she didn't ask for this, that this was just as much of a surprise to her as it was to him. He could tell just by how she reacted to the news. She didn't want this. They had no choice. What Snoke said was law and they had to obey.

Perhaps he had underestimated her, perhaps she was more important that he originally thought. What if this was a test for her just as it was for him? What if this whole time Snoke was grooming _her_ for power one day? Was she his heir?

Kylo left the throne room, turning to face them as he entered the elevator, his eyes solely fixed on her. The hood of her cloak perfectly framed her face, her wide eyes looking back at him with what he could only describe as a look of concern on her face.

He couldn't be mad at her, she was always so innocent, so pure. Then again... there was also a high probability that she was _dangerous._

The following week was going to be dangerous for him.

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

***

You couldn't help but feel antsy and nervous. You... in charge? No. No one was going to take you seriously, not to mention you couldn't _speak_. Was Snoke going to finally give you your voice back? The thought alone excited you. Oh to talk again, to hum, to sing, to hear yourself outside of your own head. What a joyous day that would be.

Not only were you looking forward to the possibility of being granted your voice, but you also couldn't help but feel giddy at the fact that you would be with Kylo Ren. Since getting your Datapad you learned an assortment of new things about life. You had watched various holodramas that Snoke allowed and you learned that you had these _feelings_ towards Kylo.... an attraction. You didn't know there were such words for that previously.

You followed Snoke around the rest of the day, counting the minutes until it was time for him to depart. You ate all of your dinner and smiled to yourself. _Hux would be proud_ , you thought to yourself. After dinner Snoke required you to pack for him.

Snoke wore opulent robes in rich colors and fabrics. Carefully you selected the ones he requested and packed them away safely and securely. He tentatively watched you as you did so, noticing how gleeful you looked.

"Puppet." He said, interrupting your thoughts. You turned to look at him, all while holding up one of his robes.

"Come here. Kneel." he said. You placed the robe back on the rack and scurried over to him, kneeling down right in front of him.

"I am trusting you with everything, Puppet. I know you will not disappoint me. Will you disappoint me?" He asked.

You shook your head no.

"Good..." All at once Snoke lashed out and gripped you by the hair at the nape of your neck and pulled you up to his face.

"Because I will be _very_ disappointed in you if I find out you have succumbed to _fleshly_ weaknesses. Do I make myself clear?" You had no idea what he meant, but you nodded anyway, tears stinging your eyes. All at once he dropped you and you fell to the floor and he tsked.

"You innocent fool... you probably don't even know what I mean. If I find out that anything _I_ deem _improper_ has transpired between you and Ren in my absence... it wont hesitate to punish you, because it will be _your_ fault. Do I make myself clear?"

You still had no idea what he meant, but you nodded anyway.

"Good... continue packing. I depart within the half hour." He said, standing up and walking over you as you sat on the floor racking your mind over what on earth he was talking about.

Once he was gone you pulled yourself together and finished his packing. Once it was said and done you followed him down to the Hangar where his transport was waiting to take him to his Planet. No one knew what Snoke's home planet was, it was a heavily guarded secret. You had been there a few times with him. It was some sort of hybrid space station that was both station and planet. This would be the first time... ever... he was leaving you alone.

You watched at he boarded his transport. He didn't even look at you to say goodbye. All at once, you filled with dread. He wasn't going to grant you back your voice. You almost wanted to cry. You had thought for a certainty that he would give it back to you, but it was not meant to be.

This ship disappeared into the vastness of space and you suddenly realized that you were alone. You turned and found that even the praetorian guards had gone with Snoke. What were you going to do with yourself?

Your eyes then caught sight of Kylo who was also in the hangar to see Snoke off. You walked over to him and he just looked down at you. You sighed and shrugged as if to say:

"alright... lets do this."

**_***_ **

**_Author's Note_ **

**_Alright, how are you guys liking our story so far!? I know it's in the early stages and these chapters are much shorter than what I usually write._ **

**_As I have previously stated, this is my first time writing a Kylo Ren x Reader! So bare with me if I don't write it exactly correct!_ **

**_Also, in my personal experience when I read x Reader stories I typically don't visualize myself... I'll still make up how I think Y/n should look. Is that normal? Do you guys do that too? Haha_ **

**_If you read "The In Between" you'll know that I "cast" my OC. Well here in this story in my brain I visualize Y/n as Lilly Collins. Idk why. Lol. So do with that information as you please._ **

**_Xoxo,_ **   
**_Nia_ **


	5. Now What?

Snoke wasn't here.

Snoke wasn't here.

Snoke... wasn't... here!

You kicked your blanket off of you and rushed to the bathroom. You went though your morning routine and then stood in front of your mirror with the Datapad propped up on a tutorial you had been _dying_ to try. The braids would be intricate, but it would be worth it. You knew it was a style wouldn't approve of, but _he wasn't here_.

It took you a few tries, but you finally got it. Your long hair parted down the middle and the braids pulling your hair away from your face and cascading down behind you. It brought out your face more, your eyes looked brighter. You felt... _pretty._

You pinched your cheeks to bring color to them and made sure your eyebrows weren't too unruly. Then you got to selecting your dress for the day. You still only had the four to choose from. There was one, however, that Snoke always made remarks on any time you wore it. So _that_ was the one you would be wearing.

It wasn't figure forming, but it didn't have a cloak and it was somewhat sleeveless. You put it on and you felt that you were ready for the day. As you left your rooms it dawned on you, where do you eat?

You only ever ate with Snoke, did you still go to his rooms for food? You figured it wouldn't hurt, so you went anyway.

As usual the doors opened for you and you entered. Inside a droid came immediately and there was your food. You had no one to tell you what to do, so you sat in your usual seat per usual and devoured your meal gleefully.

Once that was done you got up and decided to go for a walk. You held your head high, feeling a new surge of confidence as you walked the halls, eventually making your way to the throne room.

The big, vast, red room was empty. You cautiously approached the throne and stepped up to it. It felt wrong somehow, to be so near to it without Snoke, but _you_ were in charge.

Nervously, you sat down on the throne, ever so carefully, almost at the edge of it. You held your hands in your lap and tried to sit as straight as possible. You jumped when the throne room doors opened and out came Kylo Ren.

With purpose he marched towards you and then stopped. He looked around, not really sure what to do next. Surely he wasn't going to bow or kneel before you. You just smiled and waved at him and then shrugged.

You heard him audibly groan, which made you frown. You knew this wasn't going to be easy for him. You couldn't talk.

"We have the regular council meeting this morning." He said.

You lifted up your hand and pointed to your wrist, asking what time.

"In an hour." He said.

You gave him the OK symbol with your hand and smiled again.

"Your hair is different." He commented.

You felt a blush rise to your cheeks and then you held your hand up, first a thumbs up, then a thumbs down, asking him if he liked it.

"Yeah, it's nice." He said, this made you smile. A few moments of awkward silence passed between you. You could sense his frustration. He was wounding how this was all going to work. How was it that _you_ were in charge even though you were a mute.

"I guess you could just leave things to me. I'll take care of it all, since you can't..." He began, but you interrupted him by tapping your foot. You were feeling yourself this morning, you found that you had new confidence. Your hair looked good, as Kylo just confirmed, and you just felt free. You motioned for him to come forward.

He hesitated at first, but walked towards the throne. You stood up and met him half way.

"Now what? How is this going to work?" He asked. You rolled your eyes and reached out. To his utter shock you grabbed his hand and brought it up to the side of your face, pressing your face into his palm. With your free hand you made a hand motion that he understood to mean "The Force".

Kylo was in utter shock. He had his large leathered hand delicately on your face with your own small hand holding it there. You were looking at him with your wide eyes. He fixated on you, fully convinced that if he gazed into your eyes any longer he would get lost in them.

"I'll hurt you." He softly said.

You shook your head no.

Carefully... _very carefully_... Kylo pushed into your mind. Your eyes fluttered for a moment as you felt him gain access. It did not hurt. The two of you relaxed for a moment. You relaxed your hand, in turn relaxing his. A few of his fingers fell away, drifting downwards. His hand was now more so partially on your neck and side of your head, your ear between his index and middle finger, and his thumb on your cheek.

Feeling his hand on you like that, it cause something to stir inside of you. A warmth in your lower belly, and it sent a shiver down your spine.

_Hi_. You said once he was in. You could hear him take a sharp inhale once he could hear your thought in his own mind.

"Hello." he softly said.

_I know this is weird, it's weird for me too._

"Is this how the Supreme Leader talks to you?" He asked.

_Sometimes. Not often._

"Why can't you speak?"

_I don't know. He took my voice away, I don't remember why. I don't really know much about myself. I woke up here one day when I was twelve, before that I know nothing, and after that sometimes things are blurry._

"The Supreme Leader said you are his pupil too."

_I suppose I am. He takes me everywhere, I listen in on all his meetings and correspondence._

"You probably know more about The Galaxy than I do." He said with a slight chuckle.

_Probably._ You thought to him as a smile curled on your lips.

Under his helmet, Kylo closed his eyes. _Stars_ , he could spend all day doing this. He could spend the rest of his life doing this. This was the closest he had ever gotten to you. You two went from two passing ships in space to inches away from each other, his hand on you on such a sensitive part of your body, communicating in a way that was so _intimate._ He wanted to lift his free hand up and put it at your waist and pull you closer to him, but he refrained himself.

What had you done to him? All at once Kylo felt both weak and powerful at the same time. He couldn't explain it. He knew he should feel ashamed, that Snoke would disapprove. The energy that radiated off of you was intoxicating. He wanted so desperately to take his thumb and rub it across your lips.

From behind Kylo you heard the doors open up. You moved slightly, with Kylo's hand still at the side of your face. Marching towards the throne was Hux.

"REN! What are you doing!? Don't touch her!" Hux spat.

_Who spit in his cereal this morning?_ Was the last thought Kylo heard from you before he dropped his hand. Kylo chuckled to himself after hearing that.

"Y/n... what is going on here?" Hux said walking up to you, putting a hand on your shoulder.

You rolled your eyes, it wasn't like you could answer him. You pointed to your head, then to Kylo, then made a little motion with your hand that indicated Force.

"We were talking." Kylo said.

"Talking!?" Hux huffed.

You aggressively nodded your head yes.

"Really? Is that so?" Hux asked.

Again you nodded your head and then grabbed Kylo's hand like it was a communicator and brought it back up to the side of your head.

"She say's you need to calm down." Kylo said for you.

"I'm not going to calm down! Our Supreme Leader has left you in charge. You are vulnerable, I will not have people take advantage of you in his absence!" Hux said.

"She insists she's not vulnerable." Kylo said.

"Yes! You are! you're young, and a woman..."

"Oh I'm not repeating that to him." Kylo said to you. You had mentally cussed Hux out, calling him an asshole.

"What did she say!? Tell me!" Hux said to Kylo.

"She said to stop being a prick." Kylo said.

"Well I never!!! After everything Y/n! I try and look out for you, I try and look our for your best interests."

"She says that The Supreme Leader left her in charge and that you need to calm down and listen to what she says or else she's going to report to the Supreme Leader that you were bing difficult." Kylo said for you. With wide eyes and a serious look on your face. Hux was now silent. You had beaten him. He huffed and then turned on his heel to leave the throne room.

"We have a council meeting!" He shouted as he departed. You dropped Kylo's hand and looked up at him. You started laughing. No sound came from you, but your face had a big smile on it and your shoulders went up and down.

Kylo liked seeing you like this. He could sense that you were your own person. You were feisty, quick witted, and you took no shit. You were the complete opposite of vulnerable. Again, a warmth spread across his chest. He wasn't going to take advantage of you, he would cut anyone in half if they tried to take advantage of you. No. He felt this deep desire to protect and care for you.

He extended his arm, motioning for you to lead the way and he would follow. You took a few steps but then turned and nodded your head. You didn't want to walk ahead of him with him trailing behind, no, you wanted to walk at his side.   
  
  


*******

**_A/N_ **

**_Sorry if this feels like a filler chapter. I just had to establish how we are able to talk to Kylo. That is all. Carry on._ **


	6. This Was Nice

All of Snoke's generals and councilors stared at you as they entered the room, unsure of what to make of the fact that you were sitting in Snoke's chair. They had all been informed of the fact that you were left in charge. Some of them made it blatantly obvious that they disliked it.

You motioned for them to begin and then looked up over your shoulder to where Kylo was standing right next to you.

It wasn't like you were going to be making _big_ decisions that would affect the galaxy or The Order as a whole. The purpose of the regular council meetings was so that everyone was on the same page for the day, your job was just to oversee the meeting and call it to order and make sure no one fought.

You listened intently to each and every General and council member as they spoke giving their daily reports. You shifted slightly in your seat when you felt Kylo's hand rest gently on the back of your neck, you froze for a moment when you felt his thumb rub against your skin.

_General Togo once wet his pants after the Supreme Leader yelled at him._ You thought to Kylo, this elicited a small chuckle from him. Again you felt him stroke his thumb against the soft flesh of the nape of your neck. He wanted to know what you were thinking during all of this, he wanted to see just how in-tuned you were with the runnings of The First Order. He also just wanted to touch you again, to feel your softness.

_General Kando and Grand Admiral Cannis used to be married. They used to always argue at the council meetings during their divorce. One time Kando called Cannis a ruthless Krayt Dragon... and not in a good way ._ You thought to him. These little tidbits of gossip that you offered to him about High Command were amusing to him. You were proving to be very up to date on all the ongoings of the High Command.

One of the Generals cleared his throat and looked towards you. You raised your eyebrows and motioned for him to begin.

"There is civil unrest on the planet Harkan. The planet is a critical resource for us, most of our food supply comes from there. I had made The Supreme Leader aware of this several days ago and was hoping for his input on what we are to do. The protests have become rather violent." The general said.

_Why are they protesting?_ You asked to Kylo, he relayed that question to the general.

"They're demanding better working conditions."

You relayed your thoughts to Kylo who asked your questions on your behalf. Through your questioning you were able to get a better understanding on the situation. You were already up to date on the initial meeting that Snoke had with this general since you had been present for it, but you wanted to know more.

You gently moved Kylo's hand from your neck and you sat back in your seat to think for a moment. This general was looking to you for some sort of answer as to how to manage the situation until Snoke returned. The protestors weren't asking for much, they wanted better personal protection equipment, a small raise in pay, and an adjustment to their working hours.

You sat back back up in your seat and looked up at Kylo. Looking down at you he put his hand right back at the nape of your neck, again, gently swirling his thumb on your skin. You were still looking up at him as he did this, you knew he was doing it on purpose now and it brought goosebumps to your skin.

_Would it be possible to negotiate with the workers, grant them their protection equipment and then negotiate the other details at a later date when the Supreme Leader returns?_ You thought to Kylo.

"Grant them their protection equipment and arrange for negotiations to take place when the Supreme Leader returns." Kylo said to the general. To that the general nodded his head. With that you put your hands on the table and stood up, Kylo's hand falling down your back before breaking contact with you. You motioned that the meeting was dismissed and you watched as all the High Command members gathered their things and left.

It was now just you, Kylo, and... Hux.

"Very good Y/n... I'm quite impressed." Hux said to you, you just looked at him as if to say: "Really? I bet you you thought I couldn't do it."

"I bet you thought she couldn't do it." Kylo said. You smiled.

"No... on the contrary, I have all the faith in her."

"Of course." Kylo said.

"Well... there's nothing on the rest of the schedule for you today, you should just go back to your room and stay there." Hux said to you.

You shook your head no.

"No? Well what are you going to do the rest of the day?"

You just rolled your eyes and turned away from Hux to leave the room. You heard Kylo closely behind you. You honestly had no idea what you were going to do the rest of the day, but you sure were going to make the best of it.

To your knowledge you only saw a small portion of the Supremacy. There were whole areas of the ship that you had no knowledge of and you wanted to know. Out in the hallway you turned to Kylo, your eyes saying everything you needed to say.

"Let's go to the bridge." Kylo said, a smile lit up your face.

"Have you ever been to the bridge before?" He asked.

You shook your head no.

"This will be a treat." He said. He led the way and you gleefully scurried to catch up next to him. As you walked the halls you couldn't help but feel like you were running. Kylo's legs were so much longer than yours that you had to half jog to keep up with him.

You felt like you had been marching forever. The closer you got to the bridge the busier the halls got. People stared at you normally when you walked the halls, now, walking along side Kylo, you were breaking necks. You were now in a part of the ship where the average Stormtrooper had never seen you before. So it was curious to see Commander Kylo Ren walking around with a young lady.

You approached two large blast doors and they opened. Your eyes went wide at what you saw. Inside was a massive room with a wall of windows looking out into space. Everywhere people buzzed around at their work stations, buttons blinking, screens shining. You were in total awe.

You followed Kylo down the middle of the walkway that led to the windows. Once at the windows you could see everything. You could even get a handle on just how big the ship was.

For a long while you two just stood there in comfortable silence. Your eyes darting here and there looking out into the vast nothingness of space. You could see something approaching in the distance, so you pointed and tapped at the glass getting Kylo's attention.

"It's an asteroid field." He said.

The ship soon arrived at the asteroids, pushing through them like it was nothing. It was absolutely amazing. You'd never seen anything like it.

Eventually Kylo shifted and looked at you.

"It's time to go." He said. He turned to lead you out of the bridge, but you quickly grabbed his hand. He stopped and brought it up to the side of your face, almost caressing you.

_This was nice. Thank you._ You thought to him. He just nodded and then dropped his hand.

You followed him all the way back to your room. He said nothing else to you the entire way, only nodding to you once you got to your door.

When your door opened, he turned on his heel and left.

***

**_Kylo's POV_ **

The mighty Kylo Ren.... enamored with a little mute girl.

This could not be.

This would surly lead to weakness; to downfall.

But it felt so _good._

Kylo could not remember the last time his mind and soul felt evenly at peace, but it sure was at peace when he was with her. His head was dizzy by the time he left her at her room for the evening. Seeing the way her eyes lit up, the tiny twitches her lips made, and the minute ways her face changed to covey what she was thinking. It drove him _mad._

He had his own private chambers onboard the Supremacy for when Snoke needed him for long periods of time. Once he crossed the threshold to that room, he ripped his helmet off and leaned up against the closed blast doors. Raking his hands though his hair with his gloved hand, he looked down at that hand and chuckled.

How innocent it was.

How proper.

Yet it was the most thrilling thing to be able to place that hand at her neck and hear her thoughts. To hear her "speaking" to him. A smile tugged at his lips as he gazed stupidly at his gloved hand.

_He would get to do all that again tomorrow._

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

***

You sat propped up under your blanket with your Datapad balancing on your knees. On the screen your eyes were focused on watching a holodrama. It was one of the approved ones that apparently wasn't blocked by Snoke's galactic web security. The summary of the drama had been interesting enough for you which was why you clicked on it.

_"An elderly man reads his sickly wife a story from a old weathered book about a factory worker named Neil and rich girl Asha who are hopelessly in love. But Asha's parents do not approve. When Neil goes off to serve in the Clone Wars, it seems to mark the end of their love affair. After years of separation, Asha falls in love and intends to marry another man. But when Neil returns to his home planet, it becomes abundantly clear that he and Asha's love affair never really ended."_ \- read the summary.

You had already teared up during several parts of the drama. You even had to pause it a few times just to get up and blot your face with some tissues. You were not only crying because it was a beautiful story, but you were crying for yourself because deep down you knew that a story like that would never happen to you.

You had just reached the point in the drama where Neil and Asha were reunited. Neil had taken Asha on a boat ride near his new estate and a storm had broken out. Rain poured in buckets over them as the character Neil worked to get his boat back to shore. Once safely on shore, Asha looked upset.

_"Why didn't you write me!? Why!? It wasn't over for me, I waited for you for seven years. But now it's too late!"_ The character of Asha shouted over the rain.

" _I wrote you every day for a year!"_ The character of Neil said.

_"You wrote me!?"_ Asha said, your eyes were now wide and you had your blanket all tucked up under your chin. The music was swelling and you could tell something big, something important was about to happen.

_"Yes... It wasn't over, it still isn't over!"_ Neil said. You gasped when Neil reached forward and grabbed Asha, bringing her mouth to his. You clenched your thighs together and your fingers gripped your blanket as you watched an impassioned scene play out before you. You barely blinked as you watched the two characters strip each other bare of their clothes and do an act you were both confused about yet at the same time... you knew deep down was something... natural.

The looks on their faces, the sounds that they made, it looked... _good._

Your breathing had picked up and you now noticed an odd discomfort in your lower stomach. The discomfort was one that you had previously been aware of, sometimes it would happen randomly to you when you were a little girl, but those days were long gone. This discomfort hadn't happened to you in a long time. The beginnings of it felt similar to what you had felt when Kylo rubbed his thumb on your neck. You shifted in your seat trying to make the discomfort go away.

You finished the rest of the drama and as the credits rolled you were balling your eyes out. As it turned out, the old couple at the beginning of the drama was actually Neil and Asha. The story was so beautiful.

The hour was getting late and you needed to get some sleep. You placed your datapad to the side and got up to walk to the 'fresher. Once you stood up you felt a wetness in your underwear. A flush rose to your cheeks and you looked over at the calendar that hung on your wall.

Nope... it wasn't time for that, that wasn't due to come for another few weeks.

You awkwardly hobbled to the 'fresher, and sitting down on the toilet you pulled your underwear to your ankles and frowned when you saw that they were just about completely saturated. Not only that, but there was still this nagging feeling... _down there_... and you didn't fully know what it was or how to make it go away.

You cleaned yourself up in the 'fresher and tossed your soiled garment into your laundry bin and put on a new pair of underwear. Settling into your bed you stared up at the ceiling, your mind flashing you images of _that scene_ from the Drama.

Once again you felt that feeling wash over you, a sensation of _need_. A need that you had no idea how to fulfill. Your first thought was to stick your hand down there and just apply pressure and...

_Oh..._

Your finger tips hit a spot on yourself that you had no idea existed. Gently you rubbed over that spot again... and again.. and again.

Your breathing quickened and you felt a warmth spread over your skin. You arched your back against the bed and you quickened your pace with your fingers. _This felt good_.

Something was building, a pressure, and you felt like you were going to explode. Then all at once... an intrusive thought popped into your head.

_"I will be very disappointed in you if I find out you have succumbed to fleshly weaknesses."_ The memory of Snoke's words echoed in your mind. All at once, any feelings of pleasure you were experiencing vanished from your mind. You yanked your hand away from yourself and covered your face with your pillow.

_I'm sorry!_ You thought to yourself. You curled up into a little ball and you willed yourself to sleep.  
  


**_****_ **

**_A/N_ **

**_Let's play guess the movie... since by now if you've read my other work... you should know I like to reference real movies and shows and add them to the Star Wars Universe lol!!!_ **

**_And lets all face it... that movie did something to us all the first time we saw it... don't lie._ **

**_Xoxo,_ **   
**_Nia_ **


	7. The Guys

You woke up early the following morning and readied yourself. You couldn't help but feel guilty about the night before. To punish yourself you wore the plainest dress you had that had a large cloak and hood to cover you up, and you braided your hair the same way you would braid it if Snoke were here.

You could barely touch your breakfast, taking only a few bites before pushing it aside and walking yourself to the throne room. It was a far cry from the day before when you felt beautiful and confident. You walked the halls with you head hung low and you tried not to look at anyone as you passed.

You sighed in the elevator as it came to a halt, you looked up when the doors opened and instantly, your mood shifted.

Kylo was already waiting for you inside, but he wasn't alone.

He was with his Knights.

You entered the room slowly and walked straight to Kylo. You were fully aware that the six other men in the room were looking at you as you did so, but it felt different. When you normally walked the halls of the ship alone, stormtroopers would stare, and it would make you uncomfortable. Like you were being stared at in a disrespectful manner. Not here. The Knights weren't doing that. Instead you felt, for some odd reason, that they were being kind.

You had seen the knights on several occasions over the years, usually when Snoke called upon all seven of the men to complete some sort of mission. Snoke had a weird relationship with the knights, he both considered them to be his servants yet he treated them with distain, banishing them from his presence for the most part, and favoring only Kylo.

"Good morning." Kylo said once you were close enough to him.

You smiled and then looked sheepishly at the six other men.

"With the Praetorian Guards away, I asked for the Knights to come and make sure nothing happens in The Supreme Leaders absence." Kylo said.

You nodded your head.

"That's Ap'lek, Cardo, Kuruk, Trudgen, Ushar, and Vicrul." Kylo said, pointing out each of them to you.

"Knights... This is y/n... a fellow Pupil of our Supreme Leader." Kylo added.

You raised your hand to them and waved. Vicrul at the end lifted his hand and wiggled his fingers in kind response.

"We have the council meeting this morning, and then a walk down of new weapons that came in over night." Kylo said.

Again, you nodded.

"Shall we?" He said, motioning towards the elevator. Like yesterday, you walked forward and then stopped, you dropped the hood of your cloak and looked back to see if he was following you, and sure enough, he was right at your side.

You stepped into the elevator and your eyes grew wide at the realization that not only was Kylo following you into the elevator, but so were all six other men. You chuckled to yourself as you were packed in like a can of sardines, your one shoulder against the wall of the elevator and your other pressed to Kylo's arm.

"Seriously?" Kylo huffed at his men. With your arm pressed to Kylo's you wondered if this amount of contact was enough to send your thought to him.

_Let's hope the weight limit on this thing is high enough._ You thought. Kylo immediately audibly chuckled, the voice modifier on his helmet crackling, unaccustomed to the omission from his mouth.

"What's so funny?" One of the knights said.

"Y/n said you all are bunch of fat asses." Kylo said.

_Hey! I didn't say that!_ You argued back.

"Hey! That's not nice."

"Yeah! We aren't fat!"

"Trudgen is getting a little chunky."

"Shut the fuck up Ap'lek." Trudgen said.

"Language! We have a lady present."

"Listen to Vicrul." Kylo ordered.

_So... all you have to do is touch me anywhere and you can hear my thoughts... good to know._ You thought to Kylo. This made Kylo cough a bit, because in his mind he lingered on the word "anywhere". He was glad he knew you couldn't hear his thoughts. That one singular word made him think of at least half a dozen places he wished he could touch you.

The elevator doors finally opened up and all eight of you filed out of it. It must have looked like a sight. You... with seven extremely large, menacing men.

You knew that the Knights Of Ren were notorious. You knew all about the things that they did, you were there when Snoke ordered them to do some of those things. You had also seen your fair share of decapitated heads of Snoke's enemies delivered to him by the knights. So you knew just how dangerous they could be. But your short trip in the elevator confirmed something you had long suspected... that they were a band of brothers, comrades who, although were capable of heinous things, were just a group of guys at the end of the day.

In the council meeting you could tell that the Generals and Councilors were all annoyed by the presence of the Knights, but they would just have to suck it up. The meeting was quick, you didn't have to do any intervening, and when it was over, Hux again lingered.

"Who gave permission for these heathens to be here?" Hux asked.

"I wasn't aware I needed permission to ensure security in our Supreme Leader's absence. I recall he left _us_ in charge after all." Kylo said motioning to you.

"Were you aware of this?" Hux asked.

_No._ You thought to yourself, but instead you shook your head yes. You weren't going to out Kylo like that. Plus you also felt like Kylo didn't need permission to bring them here. He was the _Master_ of The Knights of Ren after all.

"Y/n... I cant believe you, you know how The Supreme leader feels..." Hux began only to be cut off by Kylo raising his hand and lightly force choking him.

"You're going to make us late for a weaponry walk down." Kylo said, letting go of Hux. Hux stumbled to his knees and looked up at you with a pitiful expression on his face. You just raised your eyebrow and looked down on him. An "oh well" look written all over your face.

You practically stepped over Hux as you left the room, Kylo at your side, and the two of you trailed by the Knights. Kylo led you down to a part of the ship you had only been two once or twice. Inside this big, massive, hangar like room, were boxes and boxes of new weapons. Blasters, cross blasters, laser clubs, you name it, The Supremacy was now equipped with it.

You watched as the Knights dispersed. They looked like little children, opening up crate after crate, pulling out shiny new weapons and inspecting them. Off to your side, your eye caught a glimmer. You turned, and approaching your was Phasma.

You gulped.

_I don't like her._ You thought to yourself.

"Why?" Kylo asked, he had had his hand resting on your shoulder since you arrived to the room.

_I don't know... I feel like... she did something bad to me before... but I can't remember._

Under his helmet, Kylo frowned. He didn't like to hear that. The past two days of being around you allowed Kylo to have more insight and to get to know you better. He long suspected that Snoke had some sort of Force Block up around your mind, it was how he was able to take away your voice. It could also explain why you didn't know much about yourself, no doubt Snoke was blocking those memories from you.

"I'll dismiss her." Kylo said.

_No... you don't..._ You went to begin, but Kylo removed his hand.

"Commander..." Phasma said as she neared. Kylo walked towards Phasma so that she wouldn't be anywhere near you.

"Captain..." Kylo said.

"These weapons are ready for testing to ensure they are in operational order." Phasma said.

"Very well. My knights and I will do the testing. You are not needed, you are dismissed." Kylo said.

"But sir..."

"Captain... you are dismissed." Kylo said in a much firmer, more protective tone. Phasma stood to attention, shot one look at you, and then departed. You sighed a sigh of relief. Once he ensured that Phasma was leaving, Kylo came right back to your side. He brought his hand up to your neck this time, his thumb rubbing little circles into your skin.

"Better?" He asked.

_Much, thank you, but you didn't have to._

"I wanted to. You don't deserve to feel uncomfortable." He responded.

"Master! You have to check out these blasters!" Cardo shouted from across the room.

"Have you ever shot a blaster before?" Kylo asked.

_Never._

"Well today's you're lucky day."

***

A certain number of the weapons were selected at random to ensure that the whole shipment of weapons would be in good working order. You watched for a while as the Knights, and Kylo himself got to work shooting the weapons at targets on the far end of the hangar like room. You were sitting on top of a few crates of weapons, you feet dangling above the floor. You were having a good time watching them.

You liked watching Kylo the most. He had removed his cloak and he held the blasters up, his stance wide, his shoulders squared. Your eyes couldn't help but follow the lines of his body, how robust and muscular they were.

Soon, you couldn't help but notice _that_ sensation down below again. You shifted in your seat with mild discomfort, and you crossed your legs, keeping your thighs tight together. You brought your hands up to your face because you could feel heat in your cheeks. You hoped that your cold fingers would be enough to cool them.

"Y/n! Come here." Kylo called out for you. You eagerly hopped down off the crate, and noticed that wet sensation again in your underwear. There was nothing you could do about it now, it wasn't too awful. You walked across the room to where he stood, the sounds of the Knights firing their blasters echoing in the background.

"I want you to try this one." He said, holding up a blaster rifle. The long metal weapon looked menacing, but thrilling. You lifted your hands up and brought your fingers to the metal. Without letting go of the weapon, Kylo brought his arms around you and stood behind you, positioning the rifle just so.

"Hold it like I was just holding it." He said. You brought up the butt to you right shoulder and you extended your left arm out to hold the hand guard. With your right hand you put your hand on the hand grip and your finger on the trigger.

"I've got you, it's heavy." He said briefly releasing the rifle into your hands and then bringing one hand to your right shoulder, and the other supporting your left hand. You could feel his chest against your back as he breathed, he was so close to you.

"When you're ready, aim at that target and pull the trigger." He said. You looked down the sight, lined everything up, and fired. The blast rocked you, almost knocking you off your feet, but Kylo caught you. A thrill washed over you. That had been so exhilarating! You wanted to do it again.

"Close... but next time try to anticipate the kickback." He said, helping you to align the rifle up again. This time you shamelessly pressed your back against his chest, certain that that would help you. Again you aimed and fired, sending the blast down and hitting the target right in the center.

Under Kylo's helmet, he was aggressively gnawing at his bottom lip. You were pressed right up against him, your little frame almost molded to his. You were doing so well shooting, it was quite amazing, you were an excellent shot for someone who had never held a rifle before. Boldly, Kylo dropped his right hand from your right shoulder, and placed it at your hip. You sharply inhaled, making sure it was stumble enough that Kylo couldn't tell. The discomfort had grown exponentially now that you were so close. Your senses were heighten and his scent of leather, cardamom, and patchouli was intoxicating.

"Let's... let's try a hand blaster." Kylo said, after having to clear his throat and take a step away. He was suddenly grateful for his tight pants, because they were keeping his chubbed dick in place, but at the same time, they grew quite painful after a while.

Kylo took the rifle from you and brought it back over to the pile of tested weapons, he then retrieved a small hand blaster from the pile. He came back over to you and began instructing you on all its parts and how it worked. He then went to demonstrate how to hold it. He was showing you just how to fire it, firing it a few times himself. You lifted your hand up and placed it at the small of his back.

He wasn't prepared for that. Feeling your hand there, he misfired, missing the target completely. The blast striking the wall instead,

_Sorry, I scared you._ You thought to him.

_"You terrify me"_ \- was what Kylo wanted to say.

"You're fine." Was what he ended up saying, lowering his arms and handing you the blaster. You stepped forward and held the blaster in both hands, raising your arms forward, holding them out straight. You sharply inhaled when you felt Kylo step closer to you, his hands first coming up to your shoulders, you swore that he lightly massaged you before his hands slid down both of your arms to your hands. It was like he was hugging you now. You were encompassed by him.

"Same as before. Aim... and shoot." He said. You did just as he said, this time the small hand blaster was easier. There was barely any kickback, yet Kylo still held on to you. You fired a few more shots, hitting the target each time.

"I think that's enough for the day." Kylo said, stepping back from you, but still keeping a hand near your neck.

_This was a lot of fun._ You thought to him.

"It does the First Order good. These weapons can now be safely distributed to troopers and officers." He said, trying to keep things professional, because to be honest... he wanted nothing more than to rip his helmet off and kiss you. Your sweet face was all lit up, your hair was only slightly disheveled from where you had pressed your head against his chest, and your eyes were wide like saucers.

"I... I have to finish up here." He said reluctantly.

_I can walk myself back to my room. I'll see you tomorrow._ You thought to him. He just nodded and turned away from you. You didn't even look at the other Knights, you put your hood over your head and looked back at Kylo once who had his back to you and his head hanging low as he appeared to be looking into one of the crates.

Your whole walk back to your room you just kept replaying the day over and over in your head. The memories of Kylo's hands on you fresh in your mind. You were thinking about it so hard that you had phantom sensations of his hands where they had previously been on your body.

The sensation you had felt _down there_ , never went away, in fact it was much worse. It was nagging, and painful. You _had_ to do something about it. One time wouldn't hurt. Only one time.

You pushed through your room door and locked it behind you and went right to your cot. You laid down and pulled your skirts up to your waist and crammed your hand down into your underwear. Quickly you found that spot that you had discovered the night before. You closed your eyes and just continued to picture Kylo. You also remembered the drama from the night before that you had watched. Suddenly both mental pictures melded together and in your mind... it was you and Kylo in _that_ scene.

Your fingers quickened their pace as you rubbed. You arched your back and couldn't help but buck your hips and spread your legs wide. How stupid you must have looked. Little sharp exhales of breath were involuntary leaving your mouth, if you had a voice, you were certain that those exhales would have been moans or whimpers.

You felt a pressure building, the same pressure you had felt the night before. You pressed on in your mind with the mental scene you had created for yourself, and at long last, a break. A relief washed over you. It was a combination of sensations you had never felt before. Your leg muscles and your muscles _down there_ spasmed, you shook your head back and forth, tears filled your eyes. _It felt amazing._

You pulled your hand away from yourself feeling fully satisfied and just laid there catching your breath.

_What was that?_ You thought to yourself. You hadn't noticed before, but you had broken out in a sweat. You sat up and pulled your knees to your chest.

That was a good thing right? It felt good after all. It brought you relief. Like when you had a scratch and you itched it, it relieved you. Surly _that_ wasn't what Snoke meant by "fleshly weaknesses". Weaknesses were a bad thing, and what you had just done made you feel good. Perhaps you had misunderstood after all.

You stood up and swayed on your legs. You weren't prepared for your legs to feel wobbly after that. You hobbled yourself to the bathroom and started a shower for yourself.

**Author's Note:**

**My cast for The Knights**

**Ap'lek**   
**Played by: Vincent Cassel**

  
**Cardo and Ushar**   
**Played by Miles Teller and Theo James**

**Cardo**   
**Played by Miles Teller**

**Ushar**   
**Played by Theo James**

**Kuruk**   
**Played by Jacob Anderson**

**Trudgen**   
**Played by Henry Zaga**

**Vicrul**   
**Played by Charles Melton**

  
**_Have fun using your imaginations._ **


	8. I Will

**_A/n_ **   
**_There will be a trigger warning later on. You will have the opportunity to skip that portion._ **

You were an incredibly astute person. The years of being Snoke's shadow taught you to be intensely observant. You easily picked up on the tiniest details, and your mind could quickly assess almost any situation.

You knew which members of high command feigned humility; half of them were all a bunch of kiss asses. Sometimes, people would confuse your silence for a lack of intellect. In reality, you were highly intelligent.

You probably _could_ run the whole galaxy if need be. You knew about all the political details, laws, and policies. You knew all about The Order's allies and enemies. From being present for most of Kylo's lessons with Snoke, you even had a somewhat deep theological knowledge of The Force.

You were entirely clueless however, when it came to the affairs of your own heart and body.

You spent your alone time searching things you could on your datapad. Words and phrases you had heard in the holodramas you had been watching, as well as things that were mentioned in those tutorial holos. Many things were blocked by the security features on the datapad, but what you could find opened up your eyes and mind to a whole side of life you had no idea existed.

_And you wanted a piece of it._

You eventually cracked open that book that Snoke had gifted you and you were enlightened via literature to a whole new side of the relationships between men and women. You found yourself needing to... "scratch that itch"... as you called it... on more than one occasion as you read though that book.

You always felt guilty afterwards for whatever reason. Yet you reasoned with yourself that if this wasn't normal... why would Snoke give you the book to begin with? Did he even know what the book was about? Perhaps he just found whatever book appealed to girls and tossed it your way. Which ever it was... You weren't complaining.

You spent the following day doing the same thing you had been doing the other days. You woke up, ate, met Kylo and the Knights in the throne room, went to a council meeting, and then accompanied Kylo and the knights in whatever task they had to do for the day.

You were fully enjoying yourself, spending time with Kylo, and getting to know the Knights. It was exhilarating. Two days after the weapons testing, you watched as Kylo did training with the Knights. You watched them fight and spar with each other, your eyes captivated by their quick maneuvers and aggression. It _thrilled_ you.

You were also enjoying the fact that you were getting to know each of the knights better. They could be very serious and terrifying at times, but in private, away from the eyes of the average Order Officer or trooper, they were quite funny.

Cardo and Ushar were brothers and they fought and bickered as such. They spewed vulgar "yo mama" jokes at each other, which was ironic since they shared the same mother. Kuruk liked to whistle to himself, if he was left alone he would either be humming or whistling some sort of tune. Ap'lek was the quiet and oldest one of the group, and Vicrul and Trudgen were the two youngest.

You were fully enjoying their company, they didn't make you feel stupid like Snoke's praetorian guards or high command did.

"What weapon do you think Y/n would be good with?" Ushar asked Kylo. Again you were sitting on top of a pile of crates in a large hangar while the Knights trained. Kylo was leaning against the crates, right next to you, with his hand on your knee. The two of you had been in deep "conversation" for the past hour. You felt comfortable and safe enough to spill all the gossip you knew about the personal lives of each member of high command.

"Y/n doesn't need a weapon." Kylo responded.

"Everyone needs a weapon." Ushar protested back.

"I'm her weapon. Piss her off and I wont hesitate to end you." Kylo said.

"Me? Piss off Y/n? Never." Ushar said, throwing his hands up and walking away.

 _They're funny._ You thought to Kylo.

"They're all murderers."

_Funny murderers_

"You're ok being around a bunch of heartless murderers?"

_I hang around Snoke every day of my life. This is nicer._

"What do you do with him all day?" Kylo asked.

 _I eat all three meals with him, I see his laundry is done, I accompany him everywhere, I listen to him when he talks.... I don't know... I really shouldn't tell you anymore, he wouldn't want me to._ You replied.

"You're a companion... and a maid?"

_I guess so. He kind of teaches me a lot of things. I know all about the histories of the galaxy, politics, strategies. Sometimes he asks for my opinion to help solve an issue. I helped solve an issue just before he left._

"What did you do?"

_There was a black spot virus outbreak in a fuel mine. The general overseeing that mine wanted to bring in new workers to replace the sick ones. It would have furthered the spread of the virus to our other mines. I suggested that the one mine be temporarily closed to prevent the spread._

"And The Supreme Leader took your advice?"

 _Yes._ You responded. Kylo just nodded his head in response. To him, it would appear that Snoke was possibly grooming you to take over some sort of leadership position one day. Why else would you know so much about politics, The Galaxy, and the operations of The First Order?

The two of you sat in comfortable silence watching as Ap'lek and Ushar beat the snot out of each other. You looked down at your knee where Kylo's gloved hand lay, his thumb once again rubbing little circles on you. Did he do that on purpose or was it something he mindlessly did? You didn't care, it felt nice.

"He doesn't harm you does he?" Kylo asked after a moment, turning to you to look you in the face. Your eyes focused on the view finder of his helmet and you gulped. Half a dozen memories flashed in your mind, but you kept them towards the back, away from Kylo. There were times when Snoke would be cruel. If there was a set back in First Order progress, he would sometimes take his anger out on you, striking you, verbally abusing you, or withholding food from you.

_No_. You lied

"Good. He shouldn't do what he does to me to you." Kylo said.

_I don't like it when he's cruel to you._ You think, putting your hand on his. Kylo tenses up at this gesture, but he doesn't remove his hand. Instead, he closes his eyes under his helmet and relishes in the feeling of your hand on his.

"I have a lot to learn." Kylo said.

_You're worried you wont be as strong as your grandfather... but... why? You should be your own person. Snoke shouldn't compare you the way he does._ You think. Kylo flinches at that. You were being sincere, loving, and kind. He knew what you meant by that statement. He knew that you thought very highly of him and that you didn't ever compare him to anything or anyone else. Yet in Kylo's mind, he had been brainwashed, totally convinced by Snoke that the only way to achieve success was to reach the greatness that his grandfather once held.

Kylo abruptly pulled his hand away from you; your knee feeling ice cold in his absence. A feeling of hurt and rejection flooded you.

Kylo left your side, walking over to his knights and gripping at his lightsaber. You watched him ignite the weapon and beckon all 6 of his knights to spar with him.

You knew the topic of his grandfather was a sore subject, that and the topic of his parents. You mentally kicked yourself for even bringing it up. You watched as Kylo effortlessly took on all six of his men. They were fighting for practice, so there was no chance that anyone would get hurt.

Seeing violence and carnage didn't bother you, not one bit. You had seen your fair share being Snoke's shadow. So watching the men fight didn't scare you at all. The fight went on and the hour was growing late. You figured you blew it with Kylo for the day, so without saying a word. You left. 

***

You were in your room, checking the clock constantly wondering where the droid was with your dinner. Your stomach was aggressively growling. You sat propped up on your cot with your datapad, you were watching another holodrama. You _really_ liked watching the romance holodramas. Something about them got your mind away from everything. With each new one that you watched you were transported to a different world, sometimes to a different time period. It was refreshing.

This new drama you were watching was about a mysterious rich man who for years had been in love with a woman, but the woman was married to another. He lost all contact with the woman that he loved, so in an effort to attract her attention, he throws lavish parties at his mansion hoping she would come one day. So far the drama was excellent. It had music, amazing costumes, and it was so very captivating. You were right at the part where the main character was finally going to be reunited with his love when... there was a knock at your door.

You paused the drama and got up. When you opened the door your were alarmed to see that it was Kylo standing on the other side.

"Have you eaten?" He asked.

You shook your head no.

"Come." He said. You held your finger up for a moment and motioned to your bare feet. He needed to give you a moment to put your shoes on. Once you had your shoes on, you locked up your room and followed him closely. He zigzagged you thought the halls until you were in a portion of the ship you didn't recognize.

It was a more industrial, almost unfinished section of the ship, yet there was this massively large window that looked out into the void of space. There was a beauty to the rawness of the space. It was quiet, there wasn't another soul around.

As you got closer you saw that there was a small table set up. There was a singular candle, a full table setting for one, and a glass of wine. You had had wine before, usually it was one of your "rewards" from Snoke. You watched as Kylo approached the table and pulled out one of the chairs and motioned for you to sit, which you gladly did.

Kylo knew he had acted abruptly with you earlier in the day, he knew he must have injured your feelings. This was his way of making it up to you. A modest dinner, away from it all.

Once you were comfortably seated a little droid appeared and brought you your dinner. You gleefully lifted the warmed plate off the droid and put it in front of you. You then started to look around and noticed that there was no setting for Kylo. You looked up at him and knit your eyebrows together in bewilderment.

Your face was always so expressive. Kylo had now mastered how to interpret your facial expressions just by looking at you. He held his hands behind his back and sighed.

"It's just for you." He said. You didn't like that, but why complain. The food in front of you looked divine. You usually ate whatever was on Snoke's menu and the man had extremely bland taste. Before you sat a big meaty piece of steak, some mashed potatoes, and a steamed vegetable. You were starving.

Your eating habits had faltered in recent months, you ate only to calm hunger pains, but tonight you ate not only to satisfy, but also to enjoy. Kylo sat across from you, slouched slightly in the tiny chair, his legs spread and arms crossed across his chest. He faced the window and was intently gazing out of it the entire time you ate. You pushed your foot forward under the table and gently put your foot on top of his. He turned and looked at you.

_This was delicious. Thank you. I wish you ate though._ You thought to him.

"I already ate."

_Oh..._

"There's dessert. Chocolate cake." He said as the droid beeped and came over, opening it's top and revealing the very large slice of cake. You smiled and lifted it up and placed it in front of you.

_You can have some if you want. I don't think I can finish the whole thing._ You thought to him. He watched you as you sliced the piece of cake as evenly in half as you could and pushed one half closer to him.

_Come on... I know you want some._ You thought to him while smiling and urging him on. Kylo thought about it for a good while. His mask was like an armor to him around you. He feared he would lose any self control he had left in him if he were to remove it. But this was going to be the last night... the last day you two would have together for who knows how long. You just didn't know that yet and he did.

Kylo sighed and dropped his arms. He hung his head for a moment and then lifted his hands up to the side of his helmet. You shifted in your seat for a moment, removing your foot from his. You watched with wide eyes as he hit the release on the helmet. It hissed and opened up. You didn't blink, fearful you might miss just a millisecond. He lifted the helmet off his head and black waves of hair cascaded out.

  
His face was just as you had remembered. His chiseled features, freckles, dark eyes, and lips just as you had kept memorized in your mind. He looked at you intensely, his eyes roaming over your face, committing your own appearance to his memory.

He put his helmet down on the floor and placed his hand at the middle of the table. You didn't need to be told or beckoned to, you reached out and took it.

 _Hi._ You thought to him.

"Hi." He responded out loud. His unaltered voice deep and smooth like velvet. You watched as the faintest of smiles tugged at the corner of his mouth.

 _Cake?_ You thought, motioning to his piece of the slice. Without letting go of your hand, he took his non-dominant hand and picked up the extra fork that had been provided and took for himself a bite of cake.

_It's good isn't it? It's my favorite._

"Mmmm." He said as he chewed. A smile lit up your face, and if you were able to, you would have giggled.

_The Supreme Leader lets me have cake as a reward sometimes. It's always a nice treat._

"How kind of him." Kylo sarcastically replied.

 _I've never been to this part of the ship. Where are we?_ You ask.

"An old storage warehouse. Normally supplies are stored down here. I like to come here to meditate when I'm here. It's quiet." Kylo said.

_It's very peaceful._

"We'll be approaching the Blue Gem Nebula soon. We'll be able to see it from these windows." Kylo said.

The Blue Gem Nebula. You had seen it before. You had seen it before because it was a nebula that was very close to Snoke's planet. You always saw it in passing during the times when he took you with him. If you were passing it now... it only meant...

 _Why are we passing the nebula?_ You thought. Dread completely evident in your mind. Kylo audibly sighed, sensing your unease.

"The Supreme Leader is returning tonight. The Supremacy is rendezvousing his transport." Kylo said. You immediately pulled your hand away from his and rose from your seat. You walked over to the glass and just stared out into space, wrapping your arms around yourself for comfort.

You were dreading his return because it meant _this_ would be over. No more time to yourself. No more time with Kylo. No more time with the knights. None of that. It meant your return to your boring, mundane, joyless life.

In addition to the feeling of dread... you were also feeling... _relief._

Wisps of blue, yellow, and pink space gasses began to make their way around the ship. The colorful light began to fill the room you were in, the ambiance of it dancing off your skin and in your eyes. Kylo watched as the lights danced around you, making you look radiant. For as dark and cold as Kylo could be, one thing he appreciated was the beauty of space... and the beauty of _you._

He softly said your name and got up from his seat, closing the space between you two. He put his hands on your shoulders just as you lifted your hands to wipe a few stray tears away.

"What is it? Tell me." He softy said.

You squeezed your eyes shut and decided to let him in. You showed him the memories of Snoke hitting you, pushing you, dragging you to the ground in anger. You played the vile and harsh words he had said to you over the years, and the punishments that had been inflicted upon you.

_Despite it all though... I'm relieved he is returning. I was scared when he said he wasn't feeling well. Because... what will happen to me when he is no more? Who will take care of me?_ You thought to Kylo.

Kylo had to bury the anger he felt for the pain that Snoke had inflicted on you. He would release that anger at some other time. Right now he felt this deep desire to care for you. The last thing he wanted to inflict fear or pain on you in this moment.

Gently he nudged you to turn around and face him. He moved his hands from your shoulders and had a hand on either side of your neck, his thumbs gently on your cheeks.

"I will." He said, answering your question.

"You wont need to fear Snoke forever, you wont need to live in this sad life forever. One day _I'll_ take over and I'll take care of you... as you deserve to be taken care of." He said. His words were music to your ears. Your heart was beating out of your chest so loudly that you were certain that he could hear it. His eyes left yours and were totally fixed on your lips. You almost forgot to breathe. Your eyes too going to his lips.

He pulled you closer, dropping one hand to the small of your back, pulling your tightly to him, your hands now on his chest. You were on your tiptoes, your faces so close. His eyes had not left your lips, gently he rubbed his thumb over your lips, and you couldn't help but slightly part them and sigh. He tilted your head slightly and brought your face closer to his and....

A siren went off in the ship. You jumped back, startled at the rude interruption.

"The Supreme Leader's transport has arrived." Kylo said with anger in his voice. He had been so close... so close. All week he imagined kissing you, covering you lips and face with affection, tasting your mouth, and holding you close. _Fuck...._ Now there would be no chance to have that simple enjoyment.

You reached out to him. Stepping close again and wrapping your arms around him, hugging him, pressing the side of your face to his chest.

_Thank you... for this... for everything._ You thought. Hesitantly, Kylo brought his arms around you and hugged you back. This would have to do... for now.

  
Kylo and his Knights knelt in submission awaiting the arrival of their master in the throne room. You had your hood up over your head and you were in your spot behind Snoke's throne. He was due in any moment.

You flinched and squeezed your eyes shut as the doors opened and Snoke and his guards entered the space. As you usually did, you rose to your feet and curtsied to your Master.

"Ahh... Puppet." Snoke said to you, walking past Kylo and the knights, climbing the steps to his throne. He said nothing more as he sat down and motioned for you to do the same.

"I have enjoyed my respite. It does one good to relax and recover. I have received excellent reports in my absence. Y/n and Kylo Ren have proven to be very capable in running things in my absence. I am proud of you." Snoke began.

"Y/n... come here. Stand by me." Snoke said to you. You rose from behind his throne and stood right next to him, he leaning over to look you in the eye.

"I am so very proud of you. You have proven to be such an _obedient_ servant. I was informed of your handling of the issues on Harkan. The civil unrest there has been tiresome for some months. Do you know how many protestors there were?" Snoke asked.

You knew the number, so you shook your head. There had been 27,000 protestors asking for better working conditions.

"Twenty seven thousand men and women... all asking for better working conditions." Snoke said with a chuckle. For some reason you felt uneasy, like something bad had or was about to happen. You gripped at the fabric of your dress.

"What was it you suggested? Oh... to give them their protection equipment and then negotiate with them later. You'll be happy to know that after receiving your gifts in protection equipment, they got right back to work with hope that their requests would be deemed. Do you want to know how I have redeemed their requests?" Snoke said, leaning even closer to you, his sunken eyes gazing into your very soul.

Your skin grew cold. The color drained from your face. A cold sweat broke out at the small of your back. Part of you knew... you just _knew_... but you didn't want it confirmed.

"I had them executed. All twenty seven thousand of them. We will not bow or bend to the whims of degenerates!" Snoke seethed with venom. You gulped hard. Your heart breaking in your chest for all twenty seven thousand of those innocent souls. They weren't asking for much, they had been peaceful for the most part, yet he killed them. He killed them.

 _He killed them._  
  
And for what?

"You're intentions were noble, Puppet. I applaud you for trying to keep the peace in my absence." He said, brining a hand up and patting you on the head like you were some sort of pet.

"Now go... unpack my belongings. The Knights of Ren and I have matters to discuss." Snoke ordered you. You quickly curtsied and rushed from the room, shooting a singular look at Kylo, fighting the tears in your eyes. 

***

You rushed to Snoke's chambers. Holding yourself as you moved down the halls, tears streaming down your face. What was the point of being in a ruling position if you care not for the people you rule? You didn't understand it. You were angry and you were hurt.

 _If I ruled the galaxy, I would be firm, I would be brave, but I would be fair._ You thought to yourself.

Inside Snoke's chambers you worked to unpack his belongings. Rehanging all his robes and putting away the luggage. It didn't take long and he didn't give you any further instructions, so you went back to your room.

It was late, very late. Much later than you were used to being up. You walked the halls back to your room and in doing so you passed a group of troopers who were being loud and boisterous. Two of them had their helmets off and they were holding glass bottles of sorts. A few of them made rude comments to you as you passed, but you rushed though, ignoring them.

In your room you worked to get ready for bed. To help calm your mind you put on a holo tutorial, one showing you how to do another braided hairstyle. Not that you would have the opportunity to walk around with your hair done again any time soon.

Once you were ready for bed, you climbed under the blankets of your cot and tried to find the will to sleep. But your mind kept racing, you thought of all those innocent people. Was it your fault they were dead? Should you have not answered the general that day? You didn't know, you just felt guilty.

You then thought of Kylo. He was going to kiss you! You were certain of it! You had seen that very scene and scenario play out dozens of times in the holodramas you watched. How his eyes were big and dilated gazing into yours, how he gently held you.

You grew frustrated.

Sitting up in bed, you decided it was pointless to try and sleep now. You got up and redressed yourself, and you decided to go for a walk. This wasn't the first time you weren't able to sleep. In the past a walk usually cleared your mind. A quick walk of the circuit between your room and Snoke's chambers would surely clear your head.

The halls were empty for the time of day it was. The vast majority of the crew had their sleeping hours at this time. Your footsteps echoed as you walked, and you tried to focus on your breathing to calm your nerves.

You rounded a corner and without warning, hands reached out and grabbed you, dragging you into a utility closet.

***

**_Kylo's POV_ **

The Supreme Leader had new information about Luke Skywalker. Whether the information would lead to his discovery was yet to be determined. Kylo and the Knights sat through a lengthy lesson about the mystics of the Dark Side, as well as various pending assassinations Snoke wanted the knights to carry out.

All seven of the men were on their knees, in submission, intently listening to their Dark Master. All at once Kylo sensed it. He sensed she was in danger.

Kylo stood up and turned away from Snoke. Snoke was mid sentence when his apprentice showed a minor disrespect, but then Snoke sensed it too.

"Go!" Snoke ordered Kylo... Not that Kylo needed an order, he was already on his way.

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

***

**_Trigger Warning: Physical Assault_ **   
  


You had been dragged by your arms, dress, and hair into a large supply closet. Roughly you were tossed to the center of the room. You knees now bruised at the impact. You looked up and saw that it was that group of troopers you had previously passed hours earlier. They now all had their helmets off, and some of them had completely removed their armor. The smell of alcohol was thick in the air.

"It's that quiet one!" One said.

"I'm dying to know if she speaks!" Another said.

"Let's see what noises she makes." One said before you felt a strong kick to the side. You fell over, your breath knocked out of you. For the kind of hit that you experienced, you should have at least screamed, yet no sound came from your mouth. You heard them laugh and chuckle, more words were said, and before you knew it you felt another blow to your side.

Still, no noise came from you. This seemed to anger them and urge them on further.

You were struck in the side of the head, you were kicked, punched, slapped, and thrown around. Eventually the pain began to meld together and you just kept your eyes closed. All you could do was scream in your mind and pray and will for the universe to somehow hear your pleas and send you salvation.

You were lifted up by your hair and dragged to the far side of the room. Two troopers pinned you down on your back, one pinning each of your arms to the ground.

"I know what'll make her scream!" One trooper said, stepping over you. He reached down and ripped apart your dress at the collar. He kicked aside your legs and began to work at the rest of his armor to remove it from the lower half of his body.

Everything about your face said that you _were_ screaming, you were trying! Nothing came from you. Tears were stinging your eyes, you tasted the metallic flavor of blood in your mouth, and the side of your head was pounding.

All at once you heard the distinct sound of the door to the room opening.

"OH FUCK!" One trooper shouted before the lights went dark in the room. You squeezed your eyes shut and heard the district whooshing of a certain lightsaber. Blood curdling screams came from the troopers. Your arms were released and you pulled your knees to your chest, covering up what remained of your modesty with what was left of your dress. In the darkness you crawled to the corner and just waited.

The lights eventually came back on and you saw the carnage before you. Troopers pierced, severed in half, decapitated, and mangled. Quickly the sight was shielded from you, Kylo crouched down in front of you, his shoulders heaving up and down with each breath of anger. He went to reach out to put his hand at the side of your head and neck, but you flinched back.

**_***End Trigger warning***_ **

"I'm here. I've got you." He softly said. Tears still flowed down your face and you nodded to him, giving him permission to touch you. Gently, very gently, he put his gloved hand on you.

"Where does it hurt?" He asked.

 _Everywhere. Mostly my side and my hand._ You said, lifting up your left hand to reveal two impossibly swollen fingers.

"I'm going to take you to the Medbay." He said, taking his cloak off of his shoulders and gently wrapping it around you. You clung to his cloak like your life depended on it.

"I'm going to carry you, can I do that? Are you ok with that?" He asked.

You nodded your head, giving him permission. Very carefully and gently, he leaned forward and gathered you in his arms. You felt him lift you up like it was nothing and you just relaxed into his arms. You looked around the room at the carnage.

 _Fuck them!_ You angrily spat in your mind.

"They deserved it." Kylo said.

Kylo brought you out into the hall, The knights were running towards him followed by the praetorian guards and... Snoke. Snoke pushed though the crowd of men and stepped into the room where the attack took place to assess the carnage. He then stepped towards you and Kylo.

"What happened!?" He demanded to know right then and there, grabbing you roughly by the face. You could feel the bleeding in your mouth starting again at the pressure from his hand.

 _I'm sorry! I'm sorry! They grabbed me. There was nothing I could do._ You sobbed in your mind.

"Master... it's not..." Kylo began.

"You will be silent if you want to live!" Snoke spat at Kylo, you felt Kylo protectively grip you tighter to his chest.

"What were you even doing out at this hour!?" Snoke demanded to know.

 _Just walking, Sir! I just wanted to walk. I'm sorry._ You thought loudly. He sighed and dropped his hand.

"You innocent fool...Take her to the Medbay. Don't leave her unattended." Snoke ordered Kylo. Kylo looked at his Knights and mentally told three to clean up the mess and for the other three to accompany him. You turned away from Snoke and buried your face into Kylo's chest and just cried.

"I've got you. I will take care of you." Kylo softly said.

******

**_A/N_ **

**_Hey guys,_ **

**_I've never had to do a trigger warning before, I'd much rather be safe than sorry. Please let me know if I put it at the appropriate spots!_ **

**_Also, I still LOVE reading your comments and responding to them! Seeing your comments gives me insight on your thoughts and how you're reacting, and it helps me to write better! So thank you!_ **

**_Xoxo,_ **   
**_Nia_ **


	9. Solitary

**_Kylo's POV_ **

She was in and out of consciousness. She had two broken fingers, cracked ribs, severe bruising to her left side, a sprained ankle, a split lip, two black eyes, and a pretty severe concussion. Any further damage, surely could have been fatal.

Kylo paced in the hallway with three of his knights flanking him. The nurses and doctors were working privately on her in a room, getting her cleaned up, treated, and stitched up. Rage coursed through Kylo's veins. He had killed her attackers, but still that wasn't enough.

How _dare_ they?

What had she done? Nothing, that's what. She had merely been existing.

She didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve any of this. She didn't deserve this sad, mundane, joke of a life that Snoke forced her to live. During the course of the week, Kylo saw what his heart already somehow knew, and that was that she was wild, witty, insanely smart, sometimes ruthless, and a pure joy to be around.

Kylo was a man of the Galaxy, he had been around. There had been other women in his life in the past. There had been the Engineer, the Nurse, the TIE Fighter Pilot, one First Order assassin, just to name a few... None of them held a candle to Y/n.

All the others had been infuriating, sharp tongued, demanding, and difficult to deal with. Not Y/n. Kylo got along better with her than he ever got along with any other person in his life. She took him as he was, and he appreciated her for it. Maybe it was because they were so similar, both slaves to Snoke. Maybe it was because she knew his whole story, she had been there from the beginning. Whatever it was... Kylo finally admitted to himself that, whether he liked it or not, he was devoted to her.

Cardo, Ap'lek, and Vicrul stood watching their master pace nervously back and forth. Vicrul shot a look between his two comrades. They weren't stupid, they could sense it, it had been brewing all week. From the moment they stepped foot on The Supremacy they could sense that their Master had developed an affection for the little shadow girl.

They had been around for the other "attachments", but this one felt different, more solid, more secure. Less about passion and lust, and more about genuine admiration and equality.

The doors to the Medbay swung open and Armitage Hux came running down the hall, his face red and panicked, and his hair slightly disheveled.

"Ren!" Hux called out. Kylo stopped his pacing and looked up at the General.

"Where is she!?" Hux demanded to know.

"With the doctors and nurses." Kylo responded.

"I reviewed the security footage from the hall. A full investigation has already been started as to where those troopers managed to find unauthorized alcohol. I will get to the bottom of this." Hux said.

"Good." Was all Kylo could say. Hux went to lean against the far wall away from Kylo and the three knights. His purpose in the Medbay entirely unclear to himself, yet his conscience nagged at him to be there. He had brotherly affection for Y/n, he did care for her in a way.

"She said that she had been feeling uncomfortable for a long time. That every time she walks the halls troopers say something to her." Kylo said, marching towards Hux.

"What do you mean?" Hux asked, his arms crossed across his chest.

"When she walks the halls to attend to The Supreme Leader, it's a common occurrence for inappropriate comments to be made towards her." Kylo clarified.

"What!? That's absurd!"

"You're responsible for the training of our Troops, perhaps you're to blame for their conduct!" Kylo spat.

"How dare you!!!! I have put my life's work into the training of our troops!"

"Well clearly, you're lacking in a certain area!" Kylo argued back. Hux huffed and puffed and then threw his hands up and took his leave. Just as Hux left, the doctor and a few nurses exited Y/n's room.

"She will recover. We'll keep her here for observation while her concussion heals. We've had to sedate her to reduce the chance of brain swelling." The doctor informed Kylo. Kylo just nodded and pushed the doctor aside and entered her room, shutting the door behind him.

He struggled to take a breath seeing her laid up in that bed. Her lip had to be stitched, her fingers bandaged. The bruising looked awful. A wave of sympathy pain washed over Kylo. It was like he was experiencing her pain too.

He knelt down at her bedside and took her uninjured hand in his. He knew she was sedated, but still he tried to see if she knew he was there. He softly said her name, hoping she would hear him, but there was nothing. Maybe that was a good thing, this way she wouldn't be plagued with nightmares of the experience.

The door to her room slowly opened, Kylo turned and saw that it was Vicrul.

"Sir... The Supreme Leader is ordering us back to the throne room." Vicrul said, just then a Praetorian guard appeared, pushing Vicrul aside and taking up position in the room to guard.

So the Supreme Leader wasn't going to come see her himself, instead he sends a singular guard to watch over her.

Kylo sighed and rose to his feet. He reached down and pushed a strand of her hair aside, saying a silent goodbye to her, just in case it was his last time.

_Until next time Dearest One._ He thought to himself. 

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

***

Your eyes fluttered open and you were faced with an unfamiliar ceiling. Your arms and legs were stiff and you laid upon an unfamiliar surface. Turning your head, your eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. Were you on the floor? Slowly, very slowly, you began to get up, your mind and eyes adjusting to the space around you.

You felt sore and achy. You looked down at your hands and saw that one had bandages around two of your fingers. You weren't wearing one of your regular nightgowns, instead you were in a newer one, it was white, soft, and finer than what you were accustomed to. You assessed yourself and tried to remember what had happened.

You remembered walking.

You remembered being grabbed.

You remembered bits and pieces of the assault.

Most prominently in your mind, you remembered Kylo. He had been the one that saved you, your rescuer.

You remembered him tenderly carrying you to the Medbay, your memory was blotchy from this point onwards. But you could remember bits and pieces. You remembered him at your bedside. You also remember Hux coming in at least once. Then you remembered each of the Knights and Praetorian guards taking a rotation, watching over you. Eventually you ceased remembering memories of Kylo or the Knights being present. Only small flashes of the Praetorian guards in your mind. Now, now you knew for a certain you were no longer in the Medbay, you just had no idea where you were.

You were on a mattress that was on the floor, at least it wasn't a cot. There was a small table and on top of it sat your romance book and your datapad. There was one small light, you flicked it on and looked around. No... It couldn't be?

You were in the back of Snoke's closet.

_What the fuck?_ You thought to yourself.

You slowly got up, your muscles aching, body cracking, legs swaying. Holding on to the wall you hobbled over to the door, passing all his robes and garments as you did so. You pressed the button opening the door from the inside and you were blinded bu the bright lights of Snoke's main living space.

As your eyes adjusted, you noticed a Praetorian Guard walking over to you, leaving his post by the main door. He put his hand up and motioned for you to get back into the closet. Confused you took a step back and watched as he shut the door in your face; confining you to the closet.

Now you were frustrated.

What had happened? How long were you asleep? Why were you here?

You rushed back to your new bed on the floor and curled up in a ball under the blankets, softly crying to yourself. Eventually you were all out of tears to cry, so you switched on your datapad.

You had been asleep or out of it... or whatever... for two weeks.

You determined this from the date on your datapad and the date you last remembered.

How? How was this possible and why? Surely you weren't _that_ injured.

Your injuries....

You lifted up your gown to examine yourself where you remembered being hurt, miraculously any bruising you had was gone. The only injuries remaining were your fingers and a bump from the scar that was going to be left on your lip. How was this possible?

The doors to the closet opened and your eyes adjusted again to the light, this time you could tell just who was standing in the doorway.

It was Snoke.

"Oh Puppet... I am so relieved and glad you are awake! Come, we have much to discuss." He said, tossing a crimson red shawl to you so you could cover up. You had a look of confusion on your face as you exited the closet. Your feet were bare, your hair undone, and you were now wrapped in that crimson red shawl. Snoke motioned for you to sit in your usual seat where you two shared many meals together.

As you sat, a droid came up with a plate of hot food. You hadn't realized just how hungry you were. You were unsure, surly it was the afternoon, was Snoke going to eat too?

"It's for you. Please... eat Puppet." He said, sitting down in his seat and motioning for your to eat. Slowly you began to nibble at your food while Snoke watched you.

"I was so worried about you. It has been very lonely going about my days without you, I almost didn't know what to do with myself. You needed to do much healing. You were so badly bruised, your face in such a state. I ordered them to keep you sedated and treated with Bacta until the bruising went away. I couldn't bare to look at you in such a state." He said. So that was why you were out for so long.

"I still can't comprehend how you got yourself into that mess. I've kept you so safe, so secure, yet I see I was slacking when it came to some of your freedoms. That is why I have decided, you'll stay here with me, that way you won't ever be far from me, and you'll never have to walk the halls alone again. One of my guards will escort you wherever I need you to be." He said. You felt your heart sink into your stomach and you dropped your fork, the sound echoing loudly in the room.

"You are displeased? Why!?" He said, raising his voice slightly and reaching out, grabbing you by the wrist.

_I just enjoyed my walks so much, and my room... I was comfortable._ You thought.

"I see. You may still go for walks with my permission, but never alone, and never late into sleeping hours. Your new room here will be just as comfortable. My closet is spacious and there's a private 'fresher in there, along with the laundry machines. It will be more convenient for you. You'll see." He said. You just nodded your head.

_I remember Commander Ren and The Knights of Ren watching over me, as well as your Guards. Where are they now?_ You ask in your mind.

"I sent the knights back to which they came. You know I do not need their riffraff on my ship unless absolutely necessary. As for Commander Ren... he is posted on board his ship, The Finalizer, he will be there until he succeeds at locating Skywalker." Snoke said.

You went to pull away your arm so continue to eat and have him out of your head, but he gripped you tightly, his eyes boring into your soul. For a first time in a _long_ time you felt a piercing feeling in your mind. Snoke was trying to access your private thoughts, the ones he allowed you to keep to yourself during your "conversations". It only hurt when he tried to breach that wall. You flinched and tried to slightly fight it, but it was no use.

"Ahhhh. I see." Snoke said, dropping your arm.

"I should have seen this coming. I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner. My poor... sweet... innocent one." He said chuckling to himself and leaning back in his seat. You were now suddenly mortified. You wanted to crawl in a hole and die. He saw everything that had transpired that week that he was gone... _everything_... most prominently he saw how heavily Kylo Ren was on your mind and the feelings that you now harbored for him.

"I am not displeased with you, Puppet. This was only a matter of time. You are... after all an innocent fool. The feelings you have merely are fleeting ones, they are not real. They will pass. Kylo Ren has no such feelings for you... I made sure of that. You mistook his loyalty to _me_. He was simply treating you the same way _I_ treat you. Nothing more. Perhaps the only difference is that he is young and not your father figure as I am. You are just confused. This will pass." Snoke said, laughing to himself.

You sat up straight in your seat and swallowed your mortified feelings and you nodded your head and picked up your fork. Perhaps he was right. Snoke was always right... wasn't he? You knew you didn't know much about real life, or your own heart, or feelings, that much you knew. Perhaps you were mistaken. 

***

You were given a new dress to replace the one that had been ruined. Your one singular new dress was finer than your other three. That was because it was made out of an old robe that Snoke no longer had use for. It was Red and Black and made of velvet. It had a belt fashioned around the waist, and Snoke so... _kindly_... gifted you with a necklace. The new dress did give you joy... but that was the only joy you felt now.

  
You lived your life in a sort of solitary confinement. Your only companion was Snoke, Hux didn't even stop to see you anymore when he met with Snoke, and Kylo was practically banished until he found Skywalker. Things were miserable.

You fought with your feelings every night as you laid in bed trying to sleep. Snoke said you had mistaken your feelings, so you laid awake for hours at night trying to convince yourself of such. If you were mistaken... why did they still feel so real? Snoke said only time would make them go away, you had to trust that that was true.

Time went by slowly. Days dragged on. Weeks felt like they would never end. And months felt like they lasted years.

You sat through hours of Snoke's monologues, lessons, and rants. You fell asleep standing up during council meetings, and you dozed off sitting behind his throne. You were both mentally and physically wasting away at this point. You life was not fulfilling. The only time you felt _something_ was when you watched your holodramas, which, thank the stars, Snoke still allowed.

Even though the Holodramas made you feel good, it was always a temporary feeling. Once the drama was over, you felt even more depressed that you couldn't live the life your favorite characters lived. You would never be loved how they were loved. You would never feel that.

When you walked the halls without Snoke, one praetorian guard was always trailing behind you. This was worse than when you walked alone, now _everyone_ stared and you had attention drawn to you. More than you liked.

One afternoon you were escorted to the throne room. Snoke wanted to take his tea there, so you had to prepare a tea cart for his arrival. The guard escorted you to the throne room and then locked you inside.

You busied you self with brewing the tea, setting up the tray, and just trying to work to make the time pass. You heard the doors to the throne room open and close and you heard boots marching towards you. Looking up, your eyes went wide... It was Kylo.

He was walking with purpose towards you. You froze, breathless, but also feeling stupid. Why was your heart fluttering? Why were your thoughts racing? You were mistaken. Your feelings were mistaken. What you were feeling wasn't what you thought it was. You were sure of it.

It had been ten months. Ten, long, agonizing months banished to The Finalizer and searching for Skywalker. Kylo had heard no updates about you, nothing about your wellbeing. He had even broken down and asked Hux about you, but Hux didn't know. Kylo's heart beat wildly in his chest when he saw you, he wanted to sprint across the room and pull you into his arms just to ensure that you were whole.

Kylo was so close. He was half way across the room towards you when he throne room doors opened again and Snoke entered. Immediately Kylo fell to his knee and you curtsied and scurried over to Snoke with his tea.

"Ahh... Commander Kylo Ren. Thank you for joining me." Snoke said, taking his tea from you and waving you away. You curtsied again and took your place behind the throne.

"I am here to serve you." Kylo responded.

"We have intelligence on Skywalker. You will travel to Jakku. There you will find the village of Tuanul, there resides Lor San Tekka who has managed to obtain a map leading to Skywalker. Find it before The Resistance does!" Snoke ordered.

"As you wish, Master." Kylo said.


	10. Destructing

**_A/N_ **   
**_Hold on to your butts... this chapter is a lot._ **   
  
  


Chaos. Things were utter Chaos.

Snoke was biting everyone's head off. He already struck you on three separate occasions, taking some of his frustrations out on you; once knocking a tray of tea out of your hands. Since his meeting with Kylo and the revelation that there was a map that led to Skywalker, you could sense that things seemed to be crumbling apart.

Something was causing major upheaval within The Order, and this time you weren't privy to it. Councilors and major key members of High Command were constantly sending transmissions to Snoke. With each and every transmission he grew more and more frustrated.

The tension was thick in the air. Every time Snoke moved you couldn't help but flinch, afraid that he was going to strike you again.

Snoke received a transmission from Kylo, you got to see Kylo on the holo. Even in an animated format, your heart fluttered to see him and to hear his voice. Unfortunately, Kylo came with bad news. The map to Skywalker. It wasn't successfully found. The Resistance got to it first. Now they were searching for a droid that now had the map, in addition to that... there was some girl that was now causing problems. A Scavenger.

Snoke was very displeased. He manipulated the Force from across the galaxy to hurt both Kylo and Hux on a few occasions. The dark Lord's patience was waining thin.

Snoke ordered his guards to take you back to your "room". Dutifully you complied, happy to put some distance between you and him. The guard locked you in the closet and you happily made yourself comfortable on your bed. You took out your Holo and tried to distract yourself by watching a drama.

Your distraction proved to be successful... that was until the closet door flung open and Snoke stood in the doorway, rage and anger on his face.

"GET UP!" He barked at you. You quickly rose to your feet and followed him out into the main living area of his living quarters. By the time you crossed the room and curtsied to him, it seemed like his initial anger subsided. He turned to face you and put his hands on your shoulders and smoothed the velvet sleeves your dress.

"Puppet... Today is a momentous day! Today is the last day of the Republic! Today we finally will achieve galactic domination! Come... you must ready yourself!" Snoke said to you. You scurried the appropriate five steps behind him as you and the guards followed him all the way up to the bridge of the ship. The last time you had been to the bridge you had been with Kylo. The space was still mesmerizing, just as it had been the day you saw it with Kylo.

"I want to hear it!" Snoke ordered his attending general. Soon a transmission appeared before you. It was Hux. He was standing on a large platform, flanked by high ranking Order officials. Before him stood thousands of stormtroopers. You watched with wide eyes as Hux began a captivating speech. His voice was piercing. It made your blood turn cold, your heart beat fast with excitement. YOu would have to somehow find a way later to tell Hux he did a good job with his speech.

_This was it._ You thought to yourself.

You knew _exactly_ what was going on now. You knew all about Starkiller base, the massive weapon that could destroy multiple planets at once. The galaxy was _finally_ going to kneel to The First Order and to Snoke. The Republic was finally going to be decimated. You couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride. You knew how long it had taken to achieve this goal. This was the only life you knew, you knew nothing else!

You were light years away, yet you saw it. You saw the weapon. The wide, bright red laser reached out into space, breaking apart into five. You watched multiple transmissions come in at once confirming the destruction of the five planets. The Republic was no more.

The thrill and the excitement in the room filled your system. Everyone broke out into applause, including yourself. With wide, happy eyes, you looked at Snoke. He looked _extremely_ pleased. With his arms held out he walked towards you and showed a rare sign of affection... he _hugged_ you.

_Congratulations Supreme Leader. The Galaxy is yours._ You thought to him.

"Thank you Puppet. Our war is not over yet. Kylo Ren must still retrieve and _end_ Skywalker." He said, keeping an arm around you and pushing you towards the exit. Eventually he broke away and you resumed your normal position, five paces away from him.  
  
  


***

Snoke was screaming and cursing. You covered your ears with your hands and you curled yourself into a ball behind his throne. The Force caused the room to quake. The Resistance had managed to destroy Starkiller base!

"THOSE FOOLS!!!! THOSE INSOLENT FOOLS!" Snoke screamed.

You listened and watched as report after report came in regarding Starkiller base. The numbers lost were astronomical. You immediately thought about Kylo. Was he safe? Where was he? You kept yourself curled in a ball, your face hidden in your knees and your hands covering your ears.

Officers and High Command officials rushed in and out of the throne room for hours giving Snoke updates and reports. You tried to listen, tried to hear for Kylo's name. Finally something.

Hux and Kylo had arrived to the ship. Kylo was badly injured and would be in the Medbay. Snoke showed no sympathy. He ordered that Kylo be patched up and that he and Hux report immediately to him.

Once the room was cleared of any officers or officials; Snoke reached behind his throne and grabbed you by your hair. Partially using his strength and partially using the force. He dragged you in front of him. Forcing you to kneel.

He was aggressively gripping your hair with one hand and with the other he grabbed your jaw, forcing you to look at him. You had utter terror in your eyes. The mood and situation had changed. Things were now desperate. You felt the tension, the fear, the chaos. He was hurting you, you couldn't help but bring your hands up to his in an effort to loosen the grip. The way he was looking at you, you thought for a certain he was going to kill you.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!!!!!!" Snoke yelled at you. He shoved you to the side, both with his strength and with the force, you flew a few yards, hitting the ground hard.

"If only you had been _enough_! You've just proven to be a waste of space!" He said, now he was stalking you, circling you like you were prey. What had you done? Why was this your fault!?

"I don't even know why I've kept you around! You're absolutely useless to me! Your only saving grace being who you are!" Snoke snarled. You were crying now, on your knees holding yourself with your arms. If you could beg and plea you would, but as usual nothing came from your mouth.

Who were you? You had no idea. That information had been kept from you by the same forces that kept you from speaking. You were Snoke's prisoner and servant. He continued to berate you, calling you names, blaming you for the destruction of Starkiller base. He blamed you for Luke Skywalker, he blamed you for _everything_ , and you had no idea why. Why was this your fault!? As far as you knew, you were a nobody, you were of no importance.

Snoke began to walk towards you, his hands raised. He certainly was going to strike you again, you closed your eyes, and sure enough, the blow came. He slapped you across the face, you fell to your hands and tears steamed down your cheeks.

"Get yourself up and put yourself back together. Go back to your spot you useless bitch." He said to you. You didn't have to be told twice. You scurried to your feet and rushed back to your spot behind the throne. Snoke then took his seat and waited.

The elevator doors opened and Hux and Kylo appeared before Snoke. They wasted no time talking about Starkiller base and the massive failure. Snoke eventually dismissed Hux and began to berate Kylo. Snoke asked Kylo about his wound, eventually ordering Kylo to remove his helmet. You peered out from behind the throne, and your heart stung to see just how badly Kylo was injured. He had an awful gash down he side of his face.

Snoke began to berate Kylo again. During the battle of Starkiller base, Kylo had killed his father, Han Solo, but according to Snoke, Kylo was no nearer to becoming one with the Dark Side, in fact he was even more torn than before. Snoke was furious with Kylo, mentioning how Kylo had been bested by some girl who had never held a lightsaber. Your mouth hung open in a silent gasp as you watched Snoke fling Kylo across the room in anger with lightning.

You couldn't bare to watch anymore. You hid yourself completely.

"You're just a child in a mask." You heard Snoke say to Kylo. Eventually the room grew silent, then out of nowhere you were grabbed again. You were dragged in front of Snoke once more and tossed to the ground.

"Get out of my sight. I don't care where you go or what you do. LEAVE!" He ordered you. You didn't even look back at him, you took off running. You found yourself running towards your old room. By sheer luck, the doors to your old room opened, and you took refuge inside. 

***

The ship jerked and jolted. You could hear the sounds of canon and blaster fire. You had never been in battle before, this was the first time. A blast from resistance ships must have hit close to your room because sparks flew over your head. You covered your face and arms with your hands to protect yourself. You no longer felt safe.

It had been hours since Snoke banished you from his sight. You had no where else to go. You couldn't stay in your room anymore, not with the electrical systems sparking like they were. You left your room and rushed down the hall. There were few places you could take refuge, so you went to the only one you knew.

That warehouse that Kylo had taken you to. It was deep within the ship, surely it would be safe.

You rushed past stormtroopers and officers who were all running to their battle stations. No one looked at you or questioned you as to where you were going. You ran most of the way, quickly finding your way to that quiet spot.

You panicked at the control panel to open the doors. Again you were feeling the massive ship jolt and rock under blaster fire. You rushed through the doors as soon as they opened and you stopped in your tracks to see that Kylo was there too.

You didn't think, you only acted. You ran forward, running straight for him, crashing into his chest and wrapping your arms around him.

 _I'm so scared. Snoke.... he.... he said this is all my fault._ You thought to Kylo.

"No... No... why would this be your fault?" He said, holding you for a moment and then bringing a hand to your cheek, wiping a tear away with his thumb.

 _I don't know. He said I wasn't enough. He hit me, he threw me across the room.... he told me to get out of his sight. The ship. There was a blast... my rooms..._ Your thoughts were scattered.

"Shhh... I've got you. I've got you." He said, holding you tightly to him, ever so slightly adjusting your arms around his midsection. YOu looked up and saw that he was flinching in pain.

 _You're hurting._ You thought to him.

"I took a blaster shot to the stomach." he said through gritted teeth.

 _Oh my stars... I'm so sorry._ You thought, dropping your arms from him. He kept his hand at your neck.

"It's fine... you're fine. Come on... let's get out of here." He said, then taking his hand in yours and leading you out of the warehouse.

You didn't know just _how_ much Kylo had been though in recent hours. You knew about the details surrounding Starkiller base, his father, and a few odd things about this new force user that Snoke referred to as "The Girl". What you didn't know was just how torn Kylo was at that very moment; your presence was just what he needed. Killing Han Solo was supposed to heal him, it was supposed to seal his fate to the Dark Side, instead it made him feel more conflicted. The moment you embraced him, he felt calm and even, his mind stopping the war it had on itself.

Walking hand in hand, Kylo led you out of the lower belly of the ship and up to his chambers on board The Supremacy. His Supremacy quarters were sparse and lacking in any comfort or personal touches. They were, after all, only temporary sleeping quarters for when he was here for short periods of time.

You watched as Kylo half limped over to a chair and sat down and sighed. He was in pain... you could tell. You walked over to him and reached out, placing a hand on the uninjured side of his face.

 _What can I do to make it better?_ You asked. He looked up at you, his eyes gazing into yours. He brought his hand up to the side of your face, caressing your cheek, then gently running his thumb over your lips.

You felt your heart flutter, your breathing quicken, and a heat rise between your legs. For a fleeting moment you were angry with yourself, remembering that Snoke had said these feelings weren't real. But they _were_ real. You were feeling them right now. Kylo dropped his hand, and removed his gloves and pressed his hand to his lower abdomen, when he released you saw that it was covered in blood.

You immediately dropped your hand and went to the 'fresher. Things were supposed to be standard on board the ship. Behind the 'fresher door was a first aid kit. You pulled it down, grabbed the hand towel off the wall and went back out to where Kylo was still sitting, staring at his bloodied hand.

You put the kit on the floor and then grabbed Kylo's hand and began to wipe it off with the towel. He was completely mystified by you, his lips parted and his eyes wide. You knelt down at the first aid kit and took out a vial of bacta and some new bandages. You held the items up, your hands filed with them.

Kylo flinched as he slowly brought his shirt up over his head and tossed it to the floor. You gulped hard as your eyes took in the sight of him. Now was _not_ the time to let your mind wander, he was badly injured and he was bleeding through his bandages.

"They didn't get to properly treat me in the Medbay, Snoke wanted to see me immediately." He said though the pain. You shook your head in frustration now that you were clearly seeing just how _badly_ he was injured.

You watched as Kylo used the force and brought a small table over to you. You put the bacta and bandages down and slowly moved closer to Kylo. You looked at him tentatively and with nervous hands you reached for the soiled bandages. You loosened them and began to work on unwrapping them. You had to lean _very_ close to Kylo to reach your arms around to undo the bandages.

Every once in a while, you would feel Kylo's breath against your neck as you leaned in close. It raised goosebumps to your skin and you couldn't help but flutter your eyes closed. You shook any _thoughts_ from your mind. Now was _NOT_ the time.

You discarded the soiled bandages and sighed when you saw the major extent of his abdominal injury.

"A cross blaster. It probably looks worse than it is." He said, seeing the worried and upset look on your face, he reached out to you, taking your hand.

 _I saw what cross blasters can do when we tested those weapons._ You thought to him.

"I'm fine." He said, a slight smirk at the corners of his mouth. You just rolled your eyes and grabbed the vial of bacta. Kylo shifted in the chair, spreading his knees wide so that you could stand closer to him. You applied the bacta to the wound and watched as it miraculously did it's work. Kylo sighed a sigh of relief as he felt the pain subsiding.

He was so grateful for you. His eyes danced around you as you worked on taking care of him. You were intoxicating to him. Every time you leaned in he would close his eyes and sigh to feel the heat of your neck as it neared his face. You were utterly dizzying.

Once you were satisfied with the progress of the Bacta, you reached for the new bandages. Still with shaky, nervous hands, you secured the bandages to him and slowly began to wrap them around him. You were nearly done wrapping when you felt his breath against the side of your neck again, you paused momentarily before moving again.

You got one more wrap with the bandages around Kylo's abdomen when he shifted slightly, he lifted his hands and placed them on your hips, holding you in place. You froze. He pulled you closer to him, his breath tickling the side of your neck. Your eyes fluttered closed as he leaned forward, his nose gently rubbing the delicate skin of your neck.

You couldn't help but sigh as he gently moved his nose up against your skin. You could hear his breathing close to your ear... and then... you felt as his lips firmly, yet delicately kiss that tender spot on your neck, just below your ear. Your mind was total mush at this point. You pulled away slightly to look him in the eyes. You were breathless and your heart was beating out of your chest. His eyes searched yours, beckoning a silent question.

_Yes._

His hands were immediately up in your hair and he brought his lips to yours. It was slow, gentle, passionate, and delicate. You had no idea what you were doing but it felt _so right_.

He took the lead with the kiss and you followed. You dropped the end of the bandage and brought your hands up to his hair, running your fingers though his dark locks. His one arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you tightly to him, with his other hand he _boldly_ explored your body over the fabric of your dress, his hand eventually finding a home on your bottom.

He broke away from your mouth and started to plant kisses all over your face and up and down your neck. You had a wide smile on your face, if it were possible you would have been giggling.

"I've been wanting to do that _forever_...." Kylo softly and breathlessly said with his forehead pressed to yours.

_Wait... so you do like me!?_ You thought to him.

"Of course... you are utterly bewitching to me and I have no idea why. Snoke has kept you from me for _so_ long." He said before kissing you all over again. You felt a flood of heat wash over you and you could have melted right then and there.

_Snoke told me you didn't care for me. He said I was foolish._

"Snoke is a liar." He said between kisses.

_But he is your master..._ You thought to Kylo. Kylo reluctantly let you go and brought his hands down to his bandages. He finished tying them off before standing up and pulling you close to him again.

"I finally know what I _really_ have to do... and _you_ have given me the strength to do it." He said.

***

You spent the next half hour honing your kissing skills, but going no further than that. Your body was crying out for other attentions, attentions it had never experienced before yet somehow knew it wanted. But an actual war was being waged right outside. The ship still jolted and rocked from blasts and explosions outside.

"I have to go." Kylo said, his arms wrapped around you, nuzzling his face in the crook of your neck.

 _Please don't leave me_. You thought to him.

"You'll be safe here. I promise." Reluctantly you let him go. You watched him readjust his clothes now that he was dressed in a clean shirt with your bandages still secure underneath. You were suddenly filled with dread, all the feelings of arousal you been experiencing were now gone as you watched him leave his rooms, closing the door behind him.

You got up and cross the room towards the window. _This was war_. It was pure carnage outside, yet you felt so peaceful inside. It didn't make any sense. Kylo had told you he was expecting the impending arrival of "The Girl" and that he was going to deliver her to Snoke. He was certain that this was going to put a stop to the war and force the Resistance to kneel.

You sat alone, secure in his rooms and you waited. The minutes ticked by and your eyes were growing heavy. For a brief moment you felt yourself drift off into a light sleep, but then you were jolted awake. Something felt _off._ Your senses were heightened and you felt like something was about to happen.

All of a sudden you felt excruciating pain though your midsection. It felt like you were being cut in half. You stumbled to the floor gasping for breath, the pain unbearable. Then all at once you felt an intense _release._ Your mind suddenly felt whole. A million images flashed before your eyes, but one stuck out the most.

The meadow.

That meadow you had dreams of. You could remember it! You remembered picking flowers because it was your sister's birthday. You remember hearing your mother call out for you. But then... you remembered a star destroyer appearing overhead, you remembered feeling fear and terror. You tried to run back to your parents, but out of the tall grass came Phasma. She grabbed you, you were kicking and crying. You heard your parents screaming.

The dream was never a dream. It was a memory.

You had been kidnapped.

Snoke kidnapped you and for a brief time you served him as his _first_ apprentice. You remembered memories of him growing frustrated with you. Frustrated with you because as much as he tried to work with you, you weren't Force sensitive like he had hoped.

Memories.

Memories that had been hidden from you now overwhelmed you. Tears streamed down your face. It was overwhelming. You felt pain, anguish, anger, and fear. Most of those feelings directed towards Snoke because all these years he had _lied_ to you. He purposely wiped your mind using the force, blocking your own past from you to keep you in submission. He did that because eventually he convinced a young Ben Solo to join him. With Ben Solo secured, Snoke wiped your memory and took your voice away, leaving only bits and pieces of your memory in tact.

You now knew _exactly_ who you were.

This sudden release, it could only mean one thing.

You shot up and began to run. You rushed out of Kylo's rooms. You felt the ship jerk violently and there were MASSIVE explosions that knocked you off your feet, yet you got up and continued to run. You made your way to the throne room and your eyes were wide at what you saw. Hux with a few storm troopers were standing over Kylo who was passed out on the ground. All the praetorian guards were dead, and Snoke.... Snoke was severed completely in half... dead.

Anger coursed though your veins. You rushed forward, passing Hux and Kylo. Kylo was now rising to his feet and Hux was yelling at him. Kylo's eyes followed you as you ran up towards Snoke's lifeless body. You were so angry! All the lies! You lifted up the hem of your dress and aggressively kicked Snoke's dead body. You kicked him again and again and again taking out years of pent up anger.

"Our Supreme Leader is dead!!!!" You heard Hux start to say. The memories you had of you and Hux as children flowed back into your mind. You knew what Hux was going to try and do, he was going to try and claim leadership for himself.

"Our Supreme Leader is dead!" Kylo repeated back, raising his hand and force choking Hux. The men were now in a power struggle, who was going to take charge? You decided to be the one to make that decision.

"Long live the _new_ Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren." You audibly said, your eyes locked on to Kylo, identifying him to take up Snoke's place. Kylo dropped Hux and both men looked at you in utter shock. Your voice. You had your voice back.

Kylo took three large strides towards you and held his hand out to you. You reached out and took it.

  
  
**_*******_ **

**_A/N_ **

**_So A LOT happened in this chapter. How are you guys feeling? Does it all make sense?_ **

**_I wanted to let you know that there will be no "Forcetiming" with Rey and there's no Dyad in my version of events here. Just trust the process!!!_ **

**_We now have our voice back, and our memory. We know who we are!!!!! I'm just not telling you guys who we are yet. Teehee_** 🙃 ** _._**

**_As always, keep the comments and likes rolling in! I appreciate each and every one of them! Also, if you are liking our story here so far, please please please recommend and share! It helps to boost our readers!_ **

**_Also, like I've said before, I write differently than other Kylo Fic writers. Yes I know Kylo has anger and isn't a nice person, BUT when I create a relationship for him I start that relationship from a place of mutual respect and equality. Just know that Kylo is nice to US because we are on the same level as him, we aren't annoying, and we know what's up. Lol. If any of that makes sense._ **

**_Anywho... more excitement and legit legit_** 🌶 ** _Spiciness_** 🌶 ** _to come_** 😉😉 ** _._**

 ** _Xoxo,_**  
 ** _Nia_** 💋


	11. Sweet Defeat

"The integrity of the ship is compromised! We must abandon ship now and resume our attack on the Resistance on Crait." Hux loudly said. No one said anything else. The Resistance had weaponized their remaining vessel and literally shot it though The Supremacy. They needed to evacuate now, the ship was falling apart.

Kylo firmly held your hand, pulling your from the throne room. You weaved your way through the smoke filled halls of the now dying Supremacy, making your way towards the hangars where troopers, officers, and anyone who could, worked to find escape pods or ships they could stow away on.

Kylo's all blacked out Upsilion Class Command Shuttle was being heavily guarded, it's engines were already being fired up, it could take off at a moment's notice. Still holding Kylo's hand, you climbed the ramp of the ship and made your way towards the cockpit. Once it was confirmed that Kylo and Hux were onboard, the ship began its take off. You felt it rumble and purr under your feet as it departed from the hangar, making it's way towards the mineral planet.

The First Order was an efficient machine. The moment The Resistance made its fatal attack on The Supremacy, the whole vessel went into evacuation mode. Already additional support ships, Tug Walkers, Heavy Scouts, and MegaCalibers were making their landing on Crait. What remained of the Resistance was hiding out in some sort of bunker within a mountain.

"Ready the Siege Cannon." You heard Hux say.

The Siege Cannon, it was part of Starkiller technology, albeit on a smaller scale. It was a destructive force, not capable of destroying whole planets, but it could decimate a mountain. You watched as the weapon rolled out, it was the first time you saw it with your own eyes. You had seen mockups of it and design plans, but never the real thing.

The Resistance was still mobilizing, trying whatever they could. You chuckled to yourself.

_They're out manned and out gunned... what a bunch of fools._ You think to yourself. Kylo shoots you over this look, he hadn't let go of your hand. So even though you had your voice back, he could still hear your thoughts when touching you.

"This won't take long." Kylo said. You shot him a crooked smile and returned to watching the battle unfold. You watched as the Resistance fighters tried to disable the Siege cannon with these tiny little defunct vessels they found in the bunker, but it was no use. Soon enough, the cannon was through the bunker door. The Resistance was caught.

"Stop!" Kylo ordered.

All at once things seemed to stop. It was like time was suspended. Out of the hole that the cannon blasted came a singular man. Kylo dropped your hand and a slurry of emotions crossed his face. Anger, confusion, hate, hurt, rage.

"I want every gun we have to fire on that man." Kylo said, Hux gave Kylo a look of confusion. You already knew... it was Skywalker. With one more command from Kylo, shots began to be fired. Every weapon they had fired all at once where Skywalker stood.

"More!!!" Kylo said, clenching his fists.

"MORE!!!!" He yelled one more time.

"That's enough." Hux softly and respectfully said to Kylo. There surely was going to be a massive crater left where Skywalker once stood. Kylo said nothing and gave no command.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!!!!" Hux yelled, ordering the assault to cease. Kylo sat down in one of the pilots chairs, his eyes fixed on the floor. It seemed like he was overwhelmed.

"Do you think you got him?" Hux asked. You reached out and placed a steady hand on Kylo's shoulder, his breathing starting to slow.

"Now... If we're ready to get moving, we can finish this." Hux said.

"Sir?" Someone called out from the control panel. Kylo rose from his seat and walked away from you, looking out of the cockpit windows. To everyone's utter shock... Skywalker emerged completely unharmed. For a moment, Kylo scoffed, his eyes dead set on Skywalker.

"Bring me down to him. Keep the door covered and don't advance until I say." Kylo ordered.

"Supreme Leader... Don't get distracted, our goal...." Before Hux could finish, Kylo force pushed him across the control room.

"Right away sir." One of the pilots said as they began to lower the ship. Kylo walked to the back of the ship and down the stairs to go out the front ramp. You were hot on his trail, staying close behind. He had yet to notice you were so close.

He was going to confront and fight Skywalker. Your heart was being out of your chest, you knew Kylo was a skilled fighter, but you also knew that Skywalker was _dangerous._ You only knew that Skywalker was enemy number 1 according to The First Order. You were nervous.

You descended the ramp behind Kylo and he turned to you.

"Stay." He said in a soft voice, his eyes searching yours. He knew you were nervous for him... in a way he was nervous too. Many years of anger were built up inside of him. He harbored feelings of resentment and betrayal towards his uncle. It was all coming to a head right at this moment.

He reached up and took his cloak off his shoulders and gently handed it to you. You dutifully folded it and held it over your arm in front of yourself. He then reached up and caressed the side of your face, rubbing his thumb across your lips. He turned away from you and began to make his trek towards Skywalker.

Across the expanse, inside the bunker. General Leia Organa was watching the scene unfold though her Binoculars. She watched her son descend the ramp of the First Order ship, and she saw that he was closely followed by an elegant and beautiful girl dressed in red and black.

" _Impossible_ , it can't be!" She whispered to herself upon seeing you, for _she_ knew exactly who you were. Leia continued to watch things unfold, she watched as her son took off his cloak and hand it to you. Then, she saw the small act of affection that you two shared.

"Shit..." She grumbled to herself.

You nervously supported yourself by holding on to one of the hydraulic arms that lowered the ship's ramp and you watched Kylo go to meet his uncle. You kept a stern and brave face, your eyes fixated on what was to come. To an onlooker you looked poised and confident, but inside you were quaking like a leaf and gripping onto Kylo's cloak like your life depended on it.

The two men exchanged words, though you were too far away to hear. Then a fight ensued. Skywalker managed to dodge every blow that Kylo threw at him. Then, the moment of truth. Kylo ran towards Skywalker to strike, it would have appeared that Kylo struck true, yet there Skywalker still stood.

You gasped.

Kylo walked forward, his saber extended and it passed though Skywalker. The image of Skywalker was only an apparition! Then all at once, Skywalker disappeared. Kylo turned towards the bunker and screamed out in anger.

An order was made and troops began to make their way towards the bunker. You had no idea what to do or where to go. You couldn't even find Hux. You saw that no shots were being fired, it was as if the battle came to an abrupt halt. You walked out across the mineral planet's white surface. Your toes crunching on the salt as you went. You still held on to Kylo's cloak.

Inside the bunker you saw that there was nothing. They were all gone. Escaped. You sought out Kylo.

He was kneeling on the ground, looking down at his hand. You made it to his side and gently put your hand on his shoulder. He dropped the hand he was looking at, sighed and then reached up and put his hand on top of yours, pressing your hand into his shoulder. He got up and you went to hand his cloak back to him, he took it and instead of putting it on himself, he wrapped it around your shoulders.

"Y/n! What are you doing off the Command shuttle!? This is no place for you." You could hear Hux say as he marched up to you from behind. You just rolled your eyes.

"Hux is right. The Finalizer should be arriving momentarily. I'll see to it that your taken up there while we finish up things down here." Kylo said to you, once again caressing the side of your face and rubbing his thumb over your lips. You wanted to protest but before you knew it, Hux ordered two stormtroopers to take you back to the Command shuttle.

***

The only ship you had known for the vast majority of your life was The Supremacy. Now, both Snoke, and The Supremacy were gone. You were even told that Phasma was gone too. Much has changed in the past 24 hours and you were still trying to wrap your head around it all.

You were escorted up to The Finalizer and to Kylo's private quarters. His quarters onboard The Finalizer were much nicer than his temporary ones on the Supremacy. You didn't want to do any snooping, you weren't stupid, you wanted to be respectful.

Kylo's quarters were all black, he had a few luxury items that you were unaccustomed to yet had knowledge of. His bathroom was luxurious with a massive shower, a separate soaking tub, and a double vanity sink. He had a sitting area with a leather couch, coffee table, and a holoprojector. You peeped your head into his bedroom. Inside was a massive bed with a soft headboard and silk and velvet sheets and blanket. Your face involuntarily blushed at seeing it and you clamped your thighs together.

You had no idea what to do with yourself, so you carefully sat down on the couch. You finally sighed a sigh of relief. You were free from Snoke. _Finally._

You now had to figure out a way to tell Kylo about _everything_. You knew that Kylo didn't know about your past or who you were. You were going to have to break that news to him, and you weren't sure how he was going to take it.

You leaned back on the couch and closed your eyes trying to remember as much as you can. You filed though memory after memory, careful not to overwhelm yourself. When you were kidnapped you had been old enough to know _enough_ about your family history to know _why_ Snoke sought you out.

You remembered all of Snoke's early lessons with you. He had hoped that you were force sensitive, that one day the force would awaken in you, but it never did. It still hasn't. You just didn't have it. You endured thirteen years of your life under Snoke's rule. Part of that time you were showered with praise and adoration, then the frustration came and abuse and manipulation started. Then he grew tired and frustrated with you, so he moved on to finding Ben Solo... Kylo.... and once he did, he wiped your memory and silenced you.

You also remembered your time with your family. Your family who was now lost to you forever. Your mother had been a kind woman, your father a nervous sort of fellow. They loved you and your little sister fiercely. They tried to keep you safe, but they couldn't. They were dead, all three of them. Based on what you recalled when you were kidnapped, there was no other explanation.

You also remembered your friendship with Hux. How you two would run the halls of The Supremacy as children. It was unfortunate that as you grew, responsibility was put on both of you, forcing you to grow up faster than any child should. There was something else about your friendship with Hux, the memory of it made you flush with embarrassment. You would have to deal with that later.

You got up to pace the room. You were growing restless. It had been several hours since the battle of Crait. You knew the protocols Kylo and Hux had to preform after such an incident. You knew it would take some time, still... you were anxious.

Eventually you heard the doors to Kylo's chambers open. You heard his boots down the hall. You heard him go into his bedroom first.

"Kylo?" You called out. You had heard him rustling in his room, a clattering of a few items, but the moment you called out his name... silence.

He snuck up on you, having removed his boots. He stood at the end of the hallway that led out into the living area. He just stood there gawking at you.

"Say it again." He said.

"Kylo?" You said, a bit confused. Before you knew it, he was across the room, both arms around your waist and his mouth devouring yours. He was now kissing you breathless, lifting you off your feet, holding you tightly to him.

"Again." He said, breaking away from your mouth moving on now to your neck.

"Kylo." You said, now giggling. You shocked yourself at the sound of your own laugh.

" _Fuuuuuck."_ He groaned into your neck, now pressing your back against the glass of the massive window in the room. Kylo had entered his quarters feeling angry and defeated. All of that melted away the moment he heard the sound of your voice and saw your face. To him your voice sounded like a sweet song. A melody he could now die happily listening to.

You were dizzy. The sensation of his lips against your neck and on your face left you feeling hot. Your heart was pounding, and you had a ferocious _need_ nagging at you. A wet heat spreading between your legs and a swollen nagging feeling in your lower abdomen. It was starting to feel overwhelming because you had no idea what you wanted or what to do.

His hands were all over you. He brought both his hands to your chest, taking a breast in each hand and kneading at you through the velvet fabric of your dress. It was all getting to be too much. You were overwhelmed and panicked now.

"Kylo..." You started.

"Mmmm." Was all that came from him as he sucked away at your neck.

"Um... hold on." You said. He could hear the nervousness in your voice and he immediately stopped and pulled away, only holding on to you gently.

"I'm... I'm sorry." He said. He ran a hand though his hair and shook his head. He suddenly felt embarrassed. He was getting ahead of himself. He needed to remember that all _this_ was new to you. He had been too rough and dominating, he needed to take a step back and slow down and be gentle with you... _for now_.

"No... no... it's ok." You said to him reassuringly.

"No... I'm sorry. I need to be respectful." He said, looking away from you. You just bit your bottom lip. You had liked it, you wanted more of it, but you needed to go slower.

"Just... slower I guess." You said.

"As slow as you need." He said, pulling you in for a hug.

"I remember _everything._ " You said.

"You do?"

"I do. We should sit... I have to tell you." You say to him, taking his hand and pulling him towards the couch. You sat down across from each other. You began your tale telling him first about how you were kidnapped by Snoke. That he sent Phasma. You told him all about the early days of your initial training with Snoke, how Snoke thought you had been Force Sensitive. You then told him about your former friendship with Hux.

Kylo hung on your every word. Your voice was alluring and velvety smooth. He briefly thought about having you read to him, for if you did it would surly lull him to sleep, that's how smooth and tranquil your voice was.

"I have to be honest and admit something." You said, nervously pulling at your dress, recalling the embarrassing moment with Hux when you were kids.

"What?" Kylo said.

"Hux... Hux kissed me when I was thirteen and he was fifteen. It was awful... and I didn't want it... It just happened." You said with a nervous laugh. You searched Kylo's face to see if he would be angry.

"If it sucked it didn't count." He said, leaning forward and kissing you. Your first _real_ kisses would always be claimed by him.

"I just don't understand why Snoke thought you were Force sensitive?"

"Because of my family." You said.

"Your family?"

"I'm... I'm a Palpatine." You said, looking down at your hands. Kylo said nothing for a moment, then he got up and paced the room allowing the revelation to settle in.

"I... I didn't know the Emperor had children?" Kylo said, a hint of stress in his voice.

"Apparently he kept a family just before the rise of the Empire to keep up appearances. I know Snoke taught me that I had several uncles who faithfully served the Empire as high ranking officials under assumed names. My father was the youngest and went into hiding after the fall of the Empire. I know that my mother was younger than my father by a few years, and they had me. The details are a little blurry to me, but it's true." You tried to explain.

"So... So the Galaxy is yours? You should be ruling it... not me?" He said.

"No! I don't want it!" You quickly said. You didn't even have to think twice. Ruling the Galaxy was not something you wanted. Sure you could do it. It was _technically_ your birth right. It didn't meant that you wanted it.

"Who else knows about this? Does Hux know?" Kylo asked.

"No... Snoke said I had to be a secret. He swore me to secrecy and then wiped my mind when you joined him."

"I see..." Kylo said.

"I still don't know why he kept me around though. If I was such a failure and a disappointment..."

"No... don't say that." He said, kneeling before you and taking your face in his hands. You two looked at each other for a long time, both of you thinking.

"We'll do it together. We'll rule the galaxy together. You and me." Kylo said

"I... I..."

"You wouldn't have to worry about a thing. With you at my side we can accomplish so much. I'll take care of everything." He said. You thought about it long and hard.

"Yes. Yes!" You said. He leaned forward and kissed you once more. You smiled into the kiss, feeling light, bubbly, and happy.

"We'll take care of everything in the morning. We need rest. You can have my room... I'll sleep out here." Kylo said.

"Ok." You said, before biting your bottom lip and reaching out to kiss him again. All would be taken care of in the morning. 

**_*********_ **

**_A/n_ **

**_Ok. I just couldn't stop myself from writing this week. I feel like this chapter is rushed, and Idk how I feel about it. This particular moment had been in my mind for a while and I didn't want to lump it all together with another chapter for the sake of making a chapter long._ **

**_Also. I legit had butterflies writing the "name" scene._** 😉 ** _. Teehee._**

 ** _Yes we know who we are now!!! Finally. And I know the whole plot point involving "Palps" is old to some, but I'm using this fic to "fix" everything I thought was "wrong" with TROS and maybe improving upon some things_** 😂 ** _so let me live!!!_**

**_Any who._ **

**_Stay lovely peeps,_ **

**_Xoxo_**  
 ** _Nia_** 💋


	12. Transition

**_Kylo's POV_ **

She was curled up in a tight little ball in the upper left hand corner of his bed. She had the sheets and blankets wrapped up tightly under her chin so that only her face and hair were exposed to the air of the room. She slept so peacefully.

It was rough sleeping out on the couch, but Kylo made the best of it. He now stood leaning against the door frame of his bedroom watching her sleep as he slipped his hands into his leather gloves. He glanced at the clock on the bedroom wall, it was still very early.

Day 1 as Supreme Leader of The Galaxy.

Kylo had woken up, tiptoed into his room to grab clothes, then to his bathroom to shower, shave, brush his teeth, and get dressed. All of this he did without waking her. She slept like a rock.

He pulled the door closed gently as he took his leave. There were things he needed to address before he started his first official day.

Before heading to bed the night before, he sent word to his Knights what had transpired. They arrived within a few short hours and were ready to pledge their allegiance to him; not only as their master, but now as their Supreme Leader.

Kylo walked the halls of the Finalizer with authority, troopers stopping and saluting him as he passed. He made his way to the hangar where the Nightbuzzard was docked. Already his Knights were up and waiting for him.

"Master." They all said in unison and kneeling before him. He waved his hands at them, signaling for them to rise. He wasn't going to be like Snoke. He wasn't going to _force_ them to be humiliated like he had always been.

"As you are now aware. I am your new Supreme Leader. Do I continue to have your loyalty?" Kylo asked them.

"Until our death!" They said in unison.

"Not only do _I_ expect you to be loyal to me... but I also expect you to be loyal to Y/n." Kylo began. The knights all looked at each other.

"There have been new revelations. It's a lot. But just know that y/n and I are to be co-rulers. I, being the grandson of Darth Vader, and she... being the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine" Kylo said. The knights all looked at each other again, this time they were baffled.

"I was as shocked as you are. With Snoke's death it released the force hold he had on her. More will be made clear in due time. Later on today you will swear your loyalty to her just as you have sworn it to me. Is that clear?"

"Yes Master" They all said in unison.

"Any questions?" Kylo asked. No one moved for a moment, and then Cardo raised his hand. Kylo nodded for him to speak.

"Will you be marrying her?" Cardo asked.

"Possibly." Kylo said with a smirk and a coy look on his face that in reality said _yes_. He went to turn to leave his knights to their business. Cardo stuck his hand out to Ushar who had to fork over fifteen credits. They had had a running bet on what was going to happen with their master and the little shadow girl since the moment they met her.

Kylo had hoped to return to his rooms before she woke up. To his surprise, she was already sitting at his dining table sipping on a cup of coffee, fully dressed for the day. She was wearing the same dress she had been wearing the day before. He frowned when he realized that that was probably all she owned now.

"Good morning" he said, walking over to her and kissing her. Her lips were soft and warm. She was soft and warm... and squishy. She tasted like sweetness and cream. And her whole aura around her radiated calm and evenness.

"Good morning." She replied. Kylo sighed once more upon hearing her voice. He had at one time wasted hours of his life trying to imagine what she sounded like. From the day he met her all those years ago, she had only been a fleeting fantasy to him, something that never seemed to be obtainable. Now, here she was, all smiles, sitting at _his_ dining table.

"Breakfast should be up soon." Kylo said, sitting down across from her, and reaching out to take her hand.

"You've been up and out already?" She asked.

"The knights arrived. I had to address a few things with them."

"Oh good. I'm glad they're here. I have a _strong_ feeling there are some on the council who aren't going to like that _we_ are in charge for real now, there might be trouble."

"I agree. I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What's that?"

"How would you like to be known as... Mistress of The Knights of Ren?" He asked her. She put down her coffee cup and took his hand in both of hers. She had this devilish smile on her face and a little sinister glimmer in her eye.

"I think I would like that _very_ much."

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

***

You and Kylo discussed a multitude of things over breakfast alone. You went over the Council meeting agenda and decided what you wanted to address and how. The plan was to "divide and conquer". Kylo would handle all things military, war, surveillance, and enforcement; and you would handle political relations, ceremonial duties, humanitarian outreach, and public service policies. Already you two were making an excellent team.

You and he also discussed how exactly you wanted to go forward with things. It wasn't the most romantic moment, But Kylo suggested that you and he get married. It made the most sense, you being a Palpatine would solidify things and bring legitimacy to Kylo's station as Supreme Leader. You both knew that there were still large numbers of Imperial sympathizers throughout the Galaxy, most of whom tolerated Snoke but secretly pined for the Empire.

Between you and Kylo, you were going to be the best of both worlds.

You and Kylo walked together down to the Finalizer's large council meeting room and waited for the rest of high command to show up. They each had a look of utter confusion on their faces when they saw you sitting at the head of the table with Kylo standing behind you. Scanned their faces, not surprised at all to see that during the battle there had been some losses.

"Sir... forgive us for the confusion... but we were told that _you_ had assumed the role of Supreme Leader." Once General said, pointing his questions at Kylo.

"I did." Kylo responded.

"Then how come..." The General began to say, directing a motion towards you.

"That is exactly what we are here to discuss, General Cannis." You say. Upon hearing you speak, the entire room was a buzz with gasps and whispers.

"Shall we call this meeting to order?" You say, placing your hands firmly on the surface of the table before you. In your lifetime, you had probably sat through hundreds of these meetings. You were about to show High Command just how smart and astute you really were. Kylo began first. Detailing the events of the previous day, stating how the Snoke had died at the hands of the jedi girl, (you knew that was a lie, he had already told you in private he had done it.).

"Our dearly departed Supreme Leader kept many secrets... one of which, is not mine to tell..." Kylo began, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder, giving you the floor now.

"I want to first thank you all for making yourselves available today. I know after yesterday's events most of you are sleep deprived, injured, and maybe even a bit frazzled. That is ok, it's to be expected. You all only knew me to be Snoke's shadow... his "puppet" he used to call me. Well I have a name... my name is Y/n Palpatine. I am the sole surviving granddaughter of our late Emperor Palpatine. I know that might be confusing, but it's true. Kylo and I intend to rule the galaxy together, unitedly. Kylo will be your Supreme Leader and I his Consort. You may refer to me as Ma'am, Your Grace, or..."

"Mistress Ren." Kylo interrupted you, rubbing his thumb in little circles against your neck. You looked around the room at all of their faces. Every last one of them had a scared and pale look about them, Hux included. It was clear to you that they had not expected you to be such an intelligent and eloquent speaker, and they most certainly did not expect you to be who you were.

"This transition of power will by no means be easy, so we are thanking you now for your patience and hard work. However.... if any of you cause trouble, we will not hesitate to remove you from your duties and send you to a different post... or for _termination_. Is that clear?" You sternly said. You really wouldn't hesitate to remove those that opposed you. Deep down, as kind and gentle as you were, you could be ruthless. You would not tolerate insubordination or disobedience, and you would not hesitate to punish those that got in your way.

You had seen how Snoke had ruled the Galaxy. He ruled though strict fear and terror. The Galaxy feared him, they were terrified of him. You wanted to be feared in a different way. You wanted people to be fearful not entirely of you, but of letting you down. You and Kylo hoped to achieve a sort of balance together. It was going to work.

With the meeting adjured, you and Kylo walked hand and hand up to the bridge of the ship. There you saw Hux who looked at both you and Kylo with a look of discomfort on his face.

"Sir... _Ma'am._ " He said with a bit of annoyance.

"Any intelligence on where the Resistance went?" Kylo asked.

"No, not yet. We will find them." Hux said.

"I read the reports this morning. Apparently Organa sent out a distress signal to their allies... no one answered. Perhaps these are the final days of the Resistance, surely they will die off on their own." You say.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Kylo said to you, patting your hand with his as your arms were linked together.

"Might I ask... when the _Big Day_ is for you two?" Hux asked, his hand smugly behind his back.

"Tonight... since the official Galaxy wide announcement of the change of power will be tomorrow, we felt it best to just sign the papers tonight." Kylo said, looking down at you with a little bit of pride on his face.

"We don't need anything fancy. Just a smooth transition of power." You said, looking back up at Kylo.

"Well... congratulations." Hux reluctantly said, before marching off to the opposite side of the bridge.

"Are you sure you don't want anything... nicer?" Kylo asked you once the two of you were out of earshot of anyone else.

"I don't see what the point of it would be. I've never been allowed to have anything fancy in my life!" You said.

"Well those days are over. You'll get whatever you want." Kylo lowly said for only you to hear. It made your heart quicken and a flush rise to your cheeks. What did you want? You were lost in thought over all the possibilities you had at your fingertips, you hadn't noticed the officer that had approached you.

"Sir... Ma'am..." They nervously said.

"Yes?" Kylo said.

"We've had teams going to the wreckage of The Supremacy all night and day collecting salvageable supplies and items. Is there anything in particular we should do with Supreme Leader Snoke's personal artifacts?" The officer asked. Kylo then looked to you, you were the only one who knew what personal items Snoke kept.

"Have Snoke's journals brought aboard, everything else can be destroyed." You said. The officer looked to Kylo for any other further direction, but Kylo waved him off,

"Journals?" Kylo asked.

"He wrote almost everything down every night after dinner. I never knew what was in them, I guess we finally get to find out." You said.

"Good thinking." Kylo said patting your hand again.

The two of you finished up in the Bridge. A few more officers and such came up to you to ask for direction regarding certain things, Kylo and you each took turns giving out orders. It was only the first day, but it was going so well.

You and Kylo went back to Kylo's rooms for lunch. Instead of eating at opposite ends of the table, Kylo grabbed your chair and pulled you to him while you sat in it. In private he had to _always_ be touching you, but in public you two kept a dignified decorum. You didn't mind it one bit, you adored it.

After lunch, the two of you went to see the Knights. It was time for them to pledge their loyalty to you. You watched as one by one they removed their helmets to you, revealing their faces for the first time to you. They then lined up in front of you, oldest to youngest. One by one they knelt down and pledged an oath to you, swearing to you their life, weapon, and loyalty. You were now the Mistress of The Knights of Ren. the knights would take orders from both you _and_ Kylo. A small little power that made you a little bit giddy.

After that, Hux and two other generals were summoned to bring the marriage documents for you and Kylo to sign. Kylo again asked you if you were sure you didn't want anything fancier or nice, again you declined. Tomorrow The Finalizer would arrive on Coruscant, The Order's unofficial capital, from there it would be broadcast Galaxy wide that you and Kylo were now in control. It would just be best to do it now to ensure things were binding. It would be too risky to wait to plan a big formal wedding.

With a shaky hand, you reached out and signed the documents, followed by Kylo.

"That'll do it. Congratulations." Hux flatly said before snapping the folder with the papers closed after the two other Generals signed as witnesses.   
  


***  
  


You stood at the window in Kylo's rooms staring out into the vastness of space. You had one arm crossed around your body and you were biting the nail on your other thumb. After signing everything, Kylo had to go do a weapons inspection, leaving you to have some time alone. You had been lost in thought for the better part of an hour, just staring off into space.

The day had gone really, really well. You caught no signs of rebelliousness from anyone in High Command, your schedule for tomorrow was free after the morning council meeting, and you would be on Coruscant. Before Kylo left to go do the weapons inspection, he kissed you on the top of your head and told you to think about what you wanted to do "later".

After lunch, but before meeting with the Knights, the two of you were a mess of kisses and hands all over each other. Once again, it had gotten a bit too heated and too much for you. You felt stupid. You wanted it, you really did, but you were scared. What made you feel even more stupid was that you were scared and you didn't know why.

You were replaying things in your mind as you stared out the window. Your hand went to your neck and you gently touched the spots on your skin where his mouth had been hours before. Thinking about it was making you "fuzzy", warm, and _bothered_.

You jumped when you heard the doors to the rooms open. You heard the distinct pattern of Kylo's boots on the floor as he walked up behind you. His arms were quickly around you, pulling you tightly against him, his face nuzzling against the crook of your neck.

"I'm all done for the day." He said, the heat of his breath against your skin giving you goosebumps.

"Hmmmm.... good." You said, closing your eyes and fully leaning back against him.

"Dinner should be arriving soon." he said, pulling away from you, leaving you feeling slightly cold. He kissed you on the tip of your nose before leaving to change out of his clothes. You brought both of your hands up to your cheeks, hoping the coolness of your fingers would reduce the flush that was most certainly there.

You could hear that he was showering in the 'fresher when the droid arrived with your dinner. You were surprised to see that it was a three course meal. Salad, a pasta dinner, chocolate cake... your favorite.... and a large bottle of wine. You lifted each item out of the service droid and set the table. You sat back and watched the steam rise off the plates of pasta.

"Oh, dinner is here." You heard him say from out of his bedroom. You were suddenly very nervous. You just sat awkwardly in your seat at the dining table. You fiddled with your hands and bobbed your knee up and down. You could hear rustling coming from out of the other room, and soon enough Kylo reappeared. He was dressed in a black undershirt and loose fitting lounge pants, and his hair was still damp from the shower.

"It looks good." You said with a smile on your face.

"It better be. I ordered it special." He said, reaching for the wine bottle. You watched with wide eyes as he used the force to up pop the cork, and then he poured you a _very_ generous glass. You gladly took the glass and took a few large sips of the red liquid before diving into your salad.

While the two of you ate, Kylo told you all about the weapons inspection. Many weapons had been salvaged from The Supremacy and they would now be fitted to The Finalizer as well as other ships. You listened to his every word and asked a few questions which he gladly explained. Talking to you was easy for Kylo. For some inexplicable reason you were calming to him and you made him feel whole. You felt the same for him, and now that you were together it was becoming even more so apparent.

You had downed your first glass of wine before you knew it, and without even asking, Kylo had poured you a second. You weren't used to this much wine. You weren't even use to this much food. Snoke had only ever give you very, very small glasses of wine as a reward for good behavior, and your diet was almost nonexistent before. Things were changing for you. This both excited you and left you a little scared and nervous.

"When we wake up we'll be on Coruscant." Kylo said. Kylo had already finished his meal and took his plate of chocolate cake and glass of wine over to the couch to finish eating there.

"What's the agenda for tomorrow?" You asked.

"The usual morning council meeting, then they're going to alert the rest of The Order and the entire galaxy about us. We'll need to be on standby in case any one tries to do some sort of attack or objection." Kylo said.

"Gotcha." You now said, as you started to nibble at your cake. You were already starting to feel the affects of the wine. You felt a little silly, your legs were wobbly, and you were having trouble thinking straight. They weren't all bad feelings, in fact, it felt good, you just weren't used to it.

"Hey." Kylo said, you looked up. He leaned back on the couch, his legs spread and patted his thigh wanting you to come over. You looked at your chocolate cake and bit your bottom lip. Slowly you rose from your chair, and carrying your plate of cake and glass of wine, you went over to him. Sitting your cake and wine down on the coffee table, you made yourself comfortable sitting on his lap. You felt _really_ giddy now.

"You know.... there's a lot to do on Coruscant." He said, pulling you close to him and reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

"I've never been."

"If there's no signs of rebellion tomorrow morning, I'm going to have The Knights take you shopping. You can get whatever you want." He said, leaning in close to you. You smiled just as he brought his lips to yours. _Stars you liked this._

You got bold all of a sudden and ran your tongue over his bottom lip. He pulled you tighter to him, bringing both your legs up over his lap. He deepened the kiss, sucking and nibbling at your bottom lip.

"I can get _whatever_ I want?" You said in a girlish little voice, breaking away from his mouth just for a moment.

"Whatever. You. Want." He confirmed drawing out each and every word in a deeply husky voice before nudging your head back to suckle at your neck. You let out a little moan and a whimper. _Whatever you wanted._ What the hell did you want?

Your mind was a slurried mess at this point. Kylo's hands were all over you, eliciting an immense amount of pleasure. Your mind was caught between thinking about all the things you would buy and letting Kylo sneak his hand up your dress. You were experiencing _way_ too much all at once at this point and you started to feel panicked. You pulled away and got off Kylo's lap, sitting closely next to him and resting your head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." You said, reaching for your wine glass and bringing it to your lips.

"No. You don't have to be sorry, I said we would go slow." He said putting his arm around you. Secretly Kylo had hoped the wine might help him out a bit, but it was clear that he might be spending at least one more night out on the couch.

"Soap... I want soap." You blurted out after taking another sip of wine.

"Soap?" Kylo questioned.

"Like scented soap. And shampoo, and conditioner, and lotion, and makeup... and a hair cut... I really, really want a hair cut." You said.

"You can have all that. Whatever you want." Kylo said with a chuckle.

"Really?"

"Really. In fact... You can have the soap now if you wanted." He said before kissing the tip of your nose.

"How?"

"In the 'fresher; by the bathtub, I keep a few different soaps, some of them smell nice I guess." He chuckled. The wine was hitting you really hard at this point, you squeaked with delight and hopped up, grabbing your wine glass you darted off to the 'fresher. You found he bottles of soap just where Kylo had said they were. Screwing off the tops you sniffed each one until you found a scent you liked.

You had seen bubble baths in the holodramas that you watched and you wanted one. So you turned on the hot water in the tub and squeezed probably more soap than you should have into the tub. While the tub filled up, you hummed to yourself while ridding yourself of your clothes.

Holding only your wine glass, you stepped into the tub and sunk deep into the water. There were so many bubbles, only your head could be visible from the water's surface. You sighed as the water relaxed you. The tub was massively deep and you were coved in the warm bubbly liquid from your shoulders down. You giggled at the sight of the bubbles climbing up well past your head.

You placed your wine glass on the edge of the tub and dunked your head under the water, wetting your hair. _This was sooooo nice._ You leaned back against the tub and just sighed all while sipping on your wine. Before you knew it, your wine was gone, your head was spinning, you were giggling for no reason, and you wanted your damn chocolate cake.

The thought popped into your head. Kylo was just outside, your cake was right on the coffee table. He could just bring it to you. You sunk up to your nose in the water, the bubbles still high above your head.

Just because you were nervous about going... _all the way_... didn't mean you possibly didn't want to fool around with him. There were a few things you knew about from watching all your holodramas. You had liquid confidence pulsing through your veins from the wine... it was now or never.

You shifted around in the tub. Getting on your knees and leaning forward, crossing your arms on the edge of the tub and resting your head on them, ensuring that the bubbles kept your modesty.

"Kylo!" You called out with a giggle. A response was almost immediate. You heard his feet hit the floor and he ran to the 'fresher door. He pushed the door open just a crack as he stood outside.

"You ok?" He asked, his voice laced with anticipation and nervousness.

"You can open the door." You said with a giggle. Slowly... very slowly... Kylo opened the door and peeked inside. His eyes went wide at seeing all the bubbles. You looked like your head was just floating in them, he couldn't see anything else.

"Can you get me another glass of wine and my chocolate cake..... _please?_ " You said, holding out your empty glass to him. He took your glass from you and had this deliciously devilish look on his face. He left and returned with your wine replenished and your chocolate cake. He handed you your wine and then sat down in front of you on the floor with your chocolate cake and fork in hand.

You sipped on your wine a bit while he cut a little piece of cake. Putting it on the fork, he held it up to you to feed it to you. You opened your mouth wide and he slightly pulled the fork away, trying to get you to come out of the water a bit more.

"Hey!" You giggled. Finally he relented and fed you your piece of cake. Chocolate cake was the best damn thing to ever be invented in your opinion. Again he cut you a piece and went to feed it to you, this time you moved quickly, coming out of the water a bit more, but making sure your tits were still covered with the bubbles. It distracted him for just a moment, but you got your piece of cake.

"You're teasing me." He said lowly.

"So what if I am?" You said.

"I don't like to be teased." He said sternly with a serious look on his face. The way he said it sent a jolt of electricity through you. You already were incredibly turned on, and the way he spoke to you just now lit something in you you had no idea existed. Kylo put the plate down and leaned up near the tub. He grabbed the detachable hand shower, turned on the water to it, and dropped it into the bubbles.

"I want you over it." He said.

"Like...?"

" _Over it."_ He said once, more. You needed no further clarification. Your hand darted under the water and you found the fixture and you positioned it between your legs. You gasped when you felt the water hit your sweet spot. _Oh fuck._ You tried to keep a straight face as you looked back at him.

"Now... where were we?" He said, once again starting to feed you little pieces of chocolate cake. He fed you pieces of cake at a ridiculously slow pace, all while kissing you in between. Beneath the water you rocked yourself against the water fixture, the pulsing of the water feeling absolutely divine. You felt a pressure building inside of you and you were desperate for release. It felt just like when you would "scratch that itch", only it was different, and now much more intense with Kylo there with you.

"Does that feel good?" He whispered to you.

"Y...Yes." You said, you were still trying to keep a straight face and keep your breathing even.

"You know... I can make you feel like that. Did you know that?" He said, bringing another piece of cake to your mouth. Your tongue darted out trying to lick the chocolate frosting.

"Ye.. yeah?" You breathlessly said.

"Yeah. I can do that to you.... with my hands... with my mouth... with my dick... did you know that?" He softly kissed you between each pause. His words were making your melt, you pressed yourself harder against the water fixture and you just moaned loudly, forgetting trying to keep a straight face.

"That's it. Feel all of it. I can do this to you... _and some."_ He said. You shot your eyes open at him, your mouth a gasp. That big tidal wave of bliss was about to wash over you, you felt it.

"You're going to cum aren't you?" He asked. You had no idea what he meant, you just looked at him, your head barely above the water as you rocked yourself against the fixture.

"Cum for me. I want to see what you look like." You tossed your head back and a for a moment you forgot to breathe. All you saw was white, and some sort of noise left your mouth. Inside of you you felt a spasming and a clenching. It was harder and more decadent than any other time you brought yourself to this bliss. You were left catching your breath and then pushing the fixture away from yourself once it started to hurt. The metal of the fixture rattled against the bottom of the tub.

He leaned forward and kissed you softly and tenderly, bringing you down off your high. He then turned off the water and finished feeding you your cake as you caught your breath. He kissed you on the tip of your nose. You were dizzy and blissed out at this point. You wet your face with your hands and sunk deeper into the water, the bubbles only now starting to dissipate. You watched as Kylo got up and adjusted a noticeable bulge in the front of his pants before he reached down and took your half finished third glass of wine from you.

"I'll sleep out on the couch if you still want me to. You shouldn't stay in that water much longer it's going to get cold. I'll leave some clothes out for you on the bed to change into. We should get to bed soon, you're going to have an exciting day tomorrow." He said, running his hands though his hair.

"I'll get dressed, and you don't have to sleep out on the couch." You sighed. You wanted to be held by him now, and that wouldn't be possible if he slept on the couch.

"Hmmm... good girl." He said, leaning down and kissing you one more time before leaving you to have some privacy to get dressed.   
  
  


**_*********_ **

**_A/N_ **

**_Anyone want some chocolate cake?_ **

**_Xoxo,_**  
 ** _Nia_** 💋


	13. Pampered

**_A/N_ **

**_This one is a long one, and a lot happens_** 😉 ** _! Please enjoy_** ** _some character development and other things as well_** 💋 ** _!!!!_**  
  
  
  
  
  


You slept solidly and securely in Kylo's arms, his body curved around yours, and his face nuzzled in your neck. When you woke up, however, your feelings of tranquility came crashing down in the form of a splitting headache. You rolled over and found that the other side of the bed was empty.

As you started to sit up, the bedroom door opened and Kylo entered the room. The room was unusually bright, you looked up at the window over the bed and saw that it was sunlight that was pouring in. You must have landed on Coruscant overnight, one of the few plants with the facilities large enough for a whole destroyer to land on.

"Good morning." He said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and kissing you.

"My head hurts." You groaned, covering your eyes with you hands.

"It must. You drank a lot of wine. Here take this." He said with a chuckle. You then noticed that he had a glass with a cloudy liquid in it in one hand and a blue pill in the other.

"What is it?" You asked, taking the pill and drink from him.

"An electrolyte drink and a pain killer.... for your headache." He said as you chugged down the drink and swallowed the pill. He gazed at you with adoring eyes. You looked adorable dressed in one of his shirts and a pair of his boxers. You were practically swimming in his clothes.

"Are we on Coruscant?" You asked as he got up and went to his dresser to take out clothes for the day. You watched with wide eyes and you bit your lip as Kylo pulled his shirt off. You were now free to drink up the sight of his muscular physique. The wounds on his chest and abdomen were now fading pink scars after being treated with Bacta.

"Yes. And our announcement went out about three hours ago, so far there's no sign of pushback." He said, his back was now turned to you as he pushed down his lounge pants and kicked them off. You tilted your head and shamelessly memorized the lines of his back and legs. He pulled out a pair of his black leather pants and put them on. You hadn't really noticed until now how great his ass looked in them.

"Does that mean I get to go shopping!?" You said with a bit of excitement.

"Yes. You have an appointment at Borgo's in an hour and a half. Ap'lek, Cardo, Vicrul, and Ushar will be escorting you." He said as he pulled a fresh long sleeved shirt over his head.

"What's Borgo's?"

"A full salon and spa. You can have whatever you want done, and then after you'll have a private shopping experience at Tyte's, which is a high end department store." He said, now pulling a belt around his waist.

"What am I allowed to wear?" You ask, recalling all the years Snoke restricted what you wore and how you looked. Kylo frowned at that statement. He was now fully dressed, save his boots and gloves. He picked up his boots and went back to the bed, sitting down beside you to put his boots on.

"I told you yesterday. Whatever you want." He sternly said before leaning over you and kissing you fiercely. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him tightly to you. Your tongues explored each other for a moment before Kylo reached up and freed himself from your grasp.

"One of us still needs to go to the Council meeting this morning." He said, slowly pulling away from you. You pouted but understood. You watched him get up and run his fingers through his hair before grabbing his gloves off the dresser and reaching for his Lightsaber.

"I'll see you when I get back?" You asked.

"Yeah! Have fun, and don't let the Knights get on your nerves. They can be extra sometimes." He said, leaning down to kiss you before departing for the day.

You stretched out in the bed, extending your arms and legs. You honestly had been sleeping so well now that you weren't sleeping on the floor anymore. Your head was starting to feel better now that the drink and the medicine was kicking in, so you decided to get up and get ready for the day.

Your clothes which you had been stuck in for days now had been laundered and pressed over night. You showered and dressed yourself in that dress for what hopefully would be the very last time.

Out in the living room, the care droid arrived with your breakfast. You lazily ate while tuning into some of the local stations on Coruscant via the holoprojector. All the stations played nothing but the news of Kylo and you. There were numerous pictures and holograms displayed of Kylo but none of you. The journalist on the station you chose said that you were a mystery. Well that was about to change very soon.

Once you ate your breakfast you finished getting ready, and just in time too. The four Knights who were to be your escorts for the day arrived. Ap'lek, Cardo, Ushar, and Vicrul. You were surprised that they weren't wearing their usual helmets and they wouldn't be carrying their normal weapons. It came as orders from Kylo, he wanted you all as inconspicuous as possible.

"Ready?" You asked them.

"Only if you are." Ap'lek said. You liked Ap'lek, he was the oldest in the group, oldest by _a lot._ Ap'lek was in his early fifties whereas the rest of the group was in their thirties or late twenties. Kylo told you all about the Knights when he got the chance.

You of course knew all about how Kylo came to be Kylo Ren, and you knew that previously there had been another Master of The Knights of Ren whom Kylo bested. You often enjoyed hearing Kylo talk about the Knights. He had expressed to you that he felt like that they would betray him during the beginning, but soon they showed that they are truly loyal to him.

You walked the halls of the Finalizer down to one of the hangars where you were surprised to see that there are ramps so that you could walk right out onto the landing field. A small leisure ship was available to you, it was what was going to be your mode of transportation for the day.

First stop... Borgo's.  
  


***

Borgo's was decked out in luxury. When you arrived you were shocked to realize that Kylo had made the arrangements for you to have the entire place to yourself. That meant every hairstylist, nail tech, massage therapist, and esthetician was at your complete disposal.

Ap'lek stayed inside the actual salon area while the other knights patrolled and guarded outside. At first you were overwhelmed by all the options. The women of the business pounced on you. They were quick to curtsy to _you,_ which was a little shocking at first, you weren't used to it.

They were being nice of course, and they quickly made you feel at home. The first thing you wanted of course was for your hair to be cut. All the stylists sighed and were a bit sad to see that you wanted a large portion of your obnoxiously long hair to disappear, but you insisted that it was what you truly wanted.

Your hair was all the way down to your butt, it always got in the way, and you felt like it made you look frumpy. You were twenty five years old and you wanted to look it.

You opted for what the stylist called a "lob". Your hair would be layered up and the length would be just below your shoulders. She promised you that it would be low maintenance but you would still be able to style it in a multitude of different ways. She showed you how it could be styled by teasing it at the crown of your head and putting it up in a sophisticated half up, half down style.

The layers added definition and volume to your hair and framed your face so well, you couldn't stop running your fingers through it after she handed you a mirror and spun you around in your chair. You were beginning to feel and look like a new person.

Your next stop was to the spa side of the facility. You stripped out of your clothes and wore a lovely fluffy robe while you had your feet pedicured, your nails manicured, and just about every hair on your body, plucked, waxed, or lasered off. You felt smooth and shiny, like a Naboo Star Skiff.

It was absolute heaven to be pampered like this. You felt new and relaxed and like a girl for once. This was everything you could have ever hoped and dreamed for.

The last part of your trip to Borgo's involved the makeup department. You didn't want to go too crazy. The makeup lady showed you several pictures of what was currently on trend, but you just wanted something to accentuate your natural features.

She plucked and fluffed your eyebrows, cleaning them up and giving them a nice shape that made your eyes pop. She attached individual eyelash extensions to each and every one of your little eyelashes. Then she matched your face with foundation and dolled you up with blush, eyeshadow, and lipgloss.

You took your own breath away when she handed you the mirror. You had no idea who was staring back at you, and it was a _huge_ confidence boost.

You asked to be able to purchase every single product, item, and tool that was used on you, and you were surprised when you were handed a _massive_ box of items that included all sorts of hair and body products, makeup brushes and tools, and an assortment of makeup.

"I've got it Ma'am." Ap'lek said after addressing the bill at the reception counter, he reached for the box and took it so that you didn't have to be burdened with carrying it.

You said goodbye to all the nice ladies that gave you the first part of your makeover. You were extremely sincere and eternally grateful to them, you promised that you would be back the next time you were on Coruscant. Outside, Cardo, Ushar, and Vicrul were pacing back and forth keeping watch, the moment you exited the building they stopped and gawked at you.

"Ap'lek... you misplaced the Mistress, who the hell is this!?" Vicrul jokingly said, you just smiled and couldn't help but blush.

"It's just a haircut." You said sheepishly.

"Nah, it looks like they scrubbed like ten layers of skin off you. You look good." Vicrul said. All four men chuckled and Ushar and Cardo made an exaggerated display of showing you the way back to the leisure ship.

You had spent the entire morning at Borgo's, so now lunch was much needed. You were starving. Ushar suggested this little hole in the wall grill place that happened to be on the way to Tyte's.

"What do you want, they have these pita wraps that are to kill for." Ushar said.

"Don't you mean they're to die for?" Cardo said.

"No... I've actually killed someone for a pita wrap. They put this sauce on it... I swear it's better than sex." Ushar said, to which you genuinely laughed.

"So... what do you want?" Ushar asked you.

"I have no idea. I never get to order my own food." You chuckled.

"I'll surprise you... trust me." Ushar said with a wink as he got out of the ship. He leaned back into the ship and asked the other Knights what they wanted and they quickly listed off complicated custom orders.

"He's going to forget I don't like onions, he always forgets about the damn onions." Ap'lek groaned.

"Why don't you like onions again?" Cardo asked.

"They give me gas."

"That's because you're old." Ap'lek then punched Cardo in the shoulder making you laugh again. It took a few minutes, but Ushar returned with bags of food, he handed out each order which everyone gleefully tore into . The ship started to move and you gazed out the window at the bright lights and amazing sights to see as you coasted through the urban city planet.

The rest of the ride was relatively quiet as everyone ate. The Pita wrap was amazing and the sauce they put on it was heavenly. You were licking the tips of your fingers trying to get every last drop off.

The ship slowed to a stop in front of the shopping store where you would have the second part of your exciting day. Ushar stretched out in his seat and burped really loud.

"I swear. Whatever that sauce is is better than sex I'm telling you." Ushar said, the other knights either nodded or said something in agreement. Then they looked at you.

"Oh.... I.... wouldn't know." You nervously said. An awkward moment hung in the air before Cardo nudged Ushar who jammed his hand in his pocket and handed Cardo 5 credits, Vicrul too held out his hand and Ushar had to give him 5 credits as well.

"Don't mind them, they're RUDE!" Ap'lek said, kicking Ushar and Cardo, and slapping Vicrul upside the head before escorting you out of the ship and up the steps of the department store.

You were shocked to see that Tyte's had their own private security guards guarding the main doors. You were immediately greeted by a flamboyantly dressed man with silvery white hair, tall boots, and sharp looking glasses.

"Your _Grace,_ my name is Mondo and welcome to Tyte's Luxury Department Store _._ " The man said exaggerating a bow before you before showering you with compliments and urging you to come inside.

Your four escorts stayed very close to you as you followed Mondo inside. Unlike your experience at the salon, the department store wasn't able to be entirely booked for your own personal use. Instead, you were being led to a private "high profile" shopping room where stylists and assistants were going to bring you whatever you wanted.

Shoppers inside the store stopped to gander at you. It wasn't every day that a First Order leisure ship, piloted by two Stormtroopers, with 4 armed and menacing "guards" and one singular girl showed up. You heard a few of them whisper as you walked past

"That must be her." One woman loudly said.

"Who!?"

"Mistress of the Knights of Ren, the new Supreme Leader's Consort, Princess Palpatine that's who!"

_Yep, that's me._ You thought, smirking to yourself. You were led through the gilded and glittering department store, passing expensive items of clothing and accessories. You reached your hand out as you passed a mannequin dressed in an elegant ball gown, running your fingers along the fine fabric.

You were led to a private room that had 4 women standing to attention waiting for _you._ They were going to be your personal shoppers and Mondo was going to be your stylist.

Ushar and Ap'lek guarded the outside of the private room giving you your privacy inside with the women; and Vicrul and Cardo patrolled the rest of the store in the meantime. You rid yourself of that red and black velvet dress you've been stuck in and instructed Mondo to have it burned. You wanted nothing more to do with any garment Snoke had forced you to wear.

"Let's start first with _foundations._ " Mondo gleefully said.

"Foundations?" You asked. You were now in a pink satin robe standing on a little pedestal in the center of the room. The women had left the room leaving you alone with Mondo. You felt comfortable with him, he had an air about him that was bubbly, dainty, and bougie.

"Foundations darling. The building blocks of a wardrobe. The first things you put on and the last things you.... or _someone else_... takes off you. Underwear... undergarments... lingerie... you name it. They're all foundations." He said before clapping his hands together and the our women reappeared back into the room. They carried boxes upon boxes with them. One stepped forward with a measuring tape and instructed you to lift your arms. She measured your bust and then your hips. Adding together the numbers, she came up with some sort of sizing. And two of the women stepped forward with their boxes.

Your eyes grew wide when you saw that inside the boxes was an assortment of red, black, and white lacy frilly things. Bras, panties, garters, negligees, slips, and other things you couldn't name all popped out at you.

You selected as many as you wanted. Mondo helped you select a few "staple items" that would help with different kinds of dresses you would be wearing later on. You settled on a white lace set that you wanted to wear for the rest of the day. Stepping behind a private dressing curtain, you dawned the floral laced bra and panty set and stared at yourself in the mirror.

Mondo then said it was time to select an "Every Day" wardrobe. You had no idea what your style was, so he showed you some ideas on his Datapad. You made a few selections and once again the 4 women scurried from the room and returned with their arms full of clothes.

As you were being brought numerous items to select and try on when there was a knock at the door. You motioned for it to be answered as you were being zipped into a black pencil dress. On the other side was Vicrul and Cardi, you laughed when you saw they had their arms full of clothes.

"You should try this stuff on!" Vicrul said. While the Knights were out patrolling they were grabbing the most ridiculous pieces of clothing they could find to bring to you. You were laughing so hard when Cardo lifted up a dress that looked like a chicken and was atleast five sizes too big.

"Actually.... leave that one." You said to Cardo. He had brought in a dramatic full length black robe that had it's edges lined with feathers. He shrugged and handed it to one of the women before departing to continue patrolling.

Your new everyday wardrobe was described to you as "practical, utilitarian, and chic", all words Mondo used to describe all the new pencil dresses, pant and top sets, and blazer jackets you had now. The next portion of clothing you had to select was "formal wear". You found that this area of clothing was much more exciting.

Glittery gowns, dresses, shoes, and accessories were brought in for you to select. You tended to drift towards figure forming cuts and delicate, fine fabrics. You had dozens of dresses in an assortment of colors. Golds, royal blues, reds, and silvers. You tried on high heels for the very first time in your life.

You swayed a bit as you tried to walk in the heels, Mondo said that it would just take practice. You stood at the center of the room in an ornate gold gown, standing tall in heels, and you couldn't help but feel _powerful._ You looked like you could slay an army just by entering room alone. You couldn't wait to show Kylo all the things you had gotten.

You had racks upon racks upon racks of new clothes. There were boxes of shoes piled as tall as you were; and a half dozen bags filled with accessories. You did _major_ damage.

The last thing you selected for yourself was a simple black sheath dress. It didn't cling to your figure, but the hem stopped just at your mid thigh. It had a high collar with a large bow tied at the back, and it was sleeveless. This was what you wanted to leave in.

"We need just one more thing to pull all of this together." Mondo said looking you over. You saw that he had a lightbulb go off in his head, he snapped his fingers and ran over to your boxes of shoes and pulled out a pair of pointed flats.

"There! That will do it!" He said looking you over one more time. You gazed at yourself in the mirror now that you were in a more casual outfit. For the first time in your life, you felt _yourself._ You smoothed your hands over the fine fabric of the dress and you turned here and there to assess your look.

"You are iconic my dear." Mondo added.

All around you, your new items were staring to be packed up carefully. Ap'lek came into the room and shook his head at the sight of the copious amounts of garments.

"You did some damage, love." He said kindly. You just smiled.

You didn't want to think about how much all of this cost. It wasn't like it really was going to break the bank. The First Order was swimming in funds and credits, you knew what the financial records said. Part of you felt slightly guilty. You knew that elsewhere in the galaxy people suffered and only wore rags whereas you were decked out in fine fabrics.

 _This is a one time time. I'll rewear most of this stuff for years to come._ You thought to yourself. You watched as The Knights gathered all the things and carted them away to the ship waiting outside. Ap'lek told you you needed to stay put in the private room, you then noticed that Tyte's private security force was also guarding the private room.

"Word got out that you were doing a bit of shopping today. So a crowd gathered. Mostly loyal well wishers and reporters. It's going to be hectic. Are you ready?" Ap'lek said to you when he came back.

"I'm ready." You said to him. All four Knights gathered around you and you went to exit the private room. As soon as you did you heard your name being shouted from the upper floors of the department store. People were gasping and you could hear the distinct sounds of your picture being taken. You kept a straight but pleasant face about you.

Exiting the store, things were more chaotic. There were reporters and journalists everywhere. People shouting your name, people shouting questions at you. You just kept your head down and stuck closely to the knights. Soon, you were ushered into the ship, and once the doors closed you felt you could breathe comfortably again.

"Well aren't you miss popular." Ushar said.

"I guess so!" You said with a giggle.   
  
  


***

You weren't taken back to The Finalizer. Instead, you're taken to a large luxury apartment building near the First Order Command building. The Knights told you that you would be staying on Coruscant for several days. You were led up to a lavishly decorated apartment on an upper level of the building.

The entire space was furnished with only the most luxurious goods. The floors were made of marble, there was antique artwork and tapestries hanging from the walls, it had a modernistic and industrial feel to it.

"Who's apartment is this?" You asked.

"It's Master Ren's. I think this is only like the third time he's ever spent any time here." Vicrul said. You watched as the Knights brought in all your things. You didn't want the space to feel cluttered, so you had them put everything in a spare room that you found. You had no idea how long you would exactly be staying here, so you felt it might be pointless to fully unpack.

You did however want to look at everything one more time.

In the spare room you started to rummage through your items and show Ushar, Cardo, and Vicrul who lingered with you. Ap'lek had gone out to lounge in the living room.

The hour was getting later and the sun was setting. You had no idea when Kylo would arrive, and, neither did the Knights. They did let you know that they had informed him that you were "home".

Ushar, Cardo, and Vicrul were a hoot as you showed them a few dresses and shoes. Cardo took a few of your new necklaces and put them on his head like they were crowns and walked around trying to imitate how Mondo talked. He had you in stitches.

Vicrul grabbed that dramatic robe that you ended up buying, he put it on himself and ran out into the living room to look at himself in the mirror.

"Guys! This is it! This is what I'm wearing when they come and tell me my rich wife died under mysterious circumstances and left me everything!" Vicrul called out.

"Oh!!! I'll be the rich wife!" Ushar said, taking a silk scarf you got and putting it on his head and wrapping himself in another one of your robes you had gotten.

You stood out in the doorway that looked out into the living room as the three guys were being loud and boisterous. Ap'lek just sat on the couch shaking his head at them. It was then that you heard the door to the apartment swoosh open. You couldn't see the front door, but the guys did, and they immediately got serious and knelt down on one kneel.

"What the actual fuck?" You heard Kylo say. You tried not to giggle at them still partially dressed in some of your new clothes. They went straight from rowdy guys to obedient servants at the drop of a hat.

"They're just being dumb asses." Ap'lek said.

"I can see that." Kylo said as he entered the space, it looked like he was going to say more, but then his eyes caught you and he was very _pleasantly_ surprised by what he saw. His mouth hung half open as he looked you up and down. You crossed your arms in front of yourself, suddenly feeling very bashful.

"You all are dismissed." Kylo said to his knights. They immediately stood up and started to scramble around removing your jewelry and any other articles of frilly clothing. Cado, Ushar, and Vicrul left the apartment first and Ap'lek was just behind them when Kylo motioned that he wanted Ap'lek to stay for a moment.

"I want to see what you got, I just need to talk to Ap'lek for a second." Kylo said to you. You nodded and went back into the spare room to pick out what you wanted to show him first.

**_Kylo's POV_ **

She was gorgeous before and now she looked like an actual goddess. Kylo's brain literally stopped and had to reboot the moment he laid eyes on her. Kylo dismissed the Knights but needed to settle a few details with Ap'lek. Kylo had left Ap'lek to be in charge for the day, so he needed to find out how the day went.

"What's the damage?" Kylo asked Ap'lek once they were alone.

"Fifty."

"Fifty what?"

"Fifty _thousand,_ and that's on the clothes and shit alone." Ap'lek said.

"And the salon and spa?"

"A thousand."

"Ok... so not too terrible, I was expecting worse to be honest." Kylo said, running his hand though his hair.

"She's a gem, Boss, she fits right in. I think she's a good one."

"Thanks." Kylo said, nodding to Ap'lek effectively dismissing him.

"Just...." Ap'lek went to begin to say.

"What?" Kylo said, a hint of annoyance in his voice, he just wanted everyone gone already to be alone with her.

"Go easy on her, try not to break her." Ap'lek said with a wink and tossed Kylo the silk scarf Cardo had previously had on his head. It was then that Ap'lek took his leave. Kylo heard the door swoosh open and then closed. He was finally alone with her.

He looked down at the silk scarf in his hand and gulped in nervousness. He took the scarf and tucked it in his back pocket and slowly made his way over to the spare room.

From the doorway he almost couldn't see her, there was so much stuff in the room. Finally he spotted her. She was on her knees on the floor pulling out a dress from a bag and holding it up over her head.

Kylo's heart was beating out of his chest and he felt this warmth spread over him as he watched her rummage through the things. She looked absolutely stunning with her hair done the way it was and the dress she wore..... he bit the inside of his cheek looking at the bow on the back of her dress.

_She was like a little present all wrapped up for him._

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

You heard Kylo clear his throat from behind you. You immediately turned around and lit up to see him. You rose to your feet as he entered the room, stepping over boxes and bags to make his way to you.

You still had a gown in your hand, but you reached out to him. His arms were around you before you knew it and he was tenderly kissing you and looking over you intently.

"You cut so much of your hair off." He said.

"Do you not like it?" You said, slightly worried that he hated it.

"No! I like it. I like it a lot." He put his hands on your hips and pulled you closely to him. You dropped the gown and wrapped your arms up around his neck.

"I had such a _wonderful_ day. It was so much fun. Thank you." You lowly said to him while fluttering your eyelashes.

"You're welcome." He said, leaning down again to kiss you. The two of you kissed like that for a while before Kylo pulled away and pressed his forehead to yours.

"Let's eat some dinner. You can tell me all about your day." He said.

"Ok." You said, taking his hand and following him out of the room. Kylo really had no interest in seeing what you had gotten, he just wanted to stare at you.

During your brief few minutes in the spare room, a droid had come in with your dinner. You each took your plates and sat down at the dining table. You told Kylo a little bit about your day, starting first with the salon visit. You then wanted to know what had gone on with The First Order while you were away. Kylo had had a busy day too, telling you all about the meetings he had to attend and the messages from all the allies that came in.

Both of you finished your dinners and pushed your plates aside. You got up from your seat and went over and sat on Kylo's lap while he continued to talk about his day. He pulled you tightly to him, your bottom rubbing over a slight harness in his pants.

"Did you have a good day?" Kylo asked.

"I did... I really did." You said.

"Good. I'm glad." He said, leaning down and placing a kiss on your neck. Your eyes rolled in your head and you melted into him. Just one touch, that's all it took for your brain to turn to mush. With one hand, Kylo held you tightly to him and with his other he rubbed up and down your exposed leg, his fingers testing to see how far up the hem of your dress he could go.

You pulled at your dress, hiking it up a little higher, giving him more of your thighs. As his hand and fingers went up higher, it sent a jolt through your body. You tossed your head to the side, giving him the other side of your neck. Your eyes fluttered open and you caught sight of yourself in a mirror on the other side of the room.

Seeing yourself like that, on his lap, his hands on you, his mouth on you, and your hair and makeup making your feel like a new confident person; it thrilled you. His words from the night before played in your mind.

_"I can do that to you...."_ You replayed his words in your mind.

"I can." Kylo said to you, making it clear to you that he was hearing your thoughts. A sound that was a cross between a whimper and a moan left your mouth. You gazed into his eyes for the briefest moment before crashing your lips into his. Your tongues explored each other and you quickly found yourself shifting in his lap, hiking up your dress even more and straddling him.

Your mind was completely free of any other outside sources. You didn't have wine tonight to let your guard down, no, this was all your own doing. All because you _desperately_ wanted it.

Kylo's hands were up and down your legs, he was taking in your softness. His world was exploding at the moment because in your mind you were saying one word over and over and over again.

_Yes._

His hands made their way all the way up to your hips, he gripped you tightly and rocked your center against his. He rolled your hips over his over and over again releasing little moans and whimpers from you. You bit your bottom lip trying to stifle the sounds.

"You're so beautiful." He said, his voice cracking a little bit. You responded to that by kissing him tenderly while rocking your hips back and forth. He moaned into your mouth, you were clearly making _him_ feel good and it was further boosting your confidence and solidifying a decision you were about to make.

"I want you so bad, it hurts." Kylo said.

"Then you can have me." You breathlessly said. He searched your face, blinking a few times letting the words register in his mind.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Yes." You confirmed. He moved all at once, locking your legs around his waist and getting up. He didn't need to exactly see where he was going, he just supported you and carried you, all while kissing you.

He found his way to the master bedroom and sat you down on the edge of the bed. He pulled away and began to feverishly strip himself of his clothes, not even caring where he was throwing them. He stripped himself down to just his leather pants and then knelt down in front of you.

He was being _extra_ careful with you. Running his hands up and down your legs again, he then brought his hand up to the back of your dress and began to pull at the bow tied in the back. He kept his eyes fixed on yours, ready to stop if you showed any remorse or hesitation.

Once the bow was untied, he slowly began to lift the dress up over your head. Once you were free of the garment you tried to avoid his eye contact. Your initial impulse was to cover yourself up, but you didn't. Eventually your eyes found Kylo's face and he was gazing over your body with total and utter adoration for you. You felt your cheeks blush.

He leaned forward and delicately kissed you, bringing a hand behind your back and fiddling with the clasp of your bra. His mouth didn't leave yours while he removed your bra from your chest, tossing it to the side. His mouth moved on from yours, down your jaw and neck to your chest. You gasped with he took a nipple into his mouth and gently sucked.

" _Oh stars!_ " You cried out. You had no idea that part of your body could be so sensitive and illicit such pleasure. You were feeling all of these insanely amazing sensations at once. You could feel that your panties were utterly saturated and you were feeling that intense _need._ It was such a swollen feeling yet at the same time and empty feeling, like something was missing that you _desperately_ needed.

Kylo pushed you backwards onto the bed and was over you, still suckling at your tits and fondling them with his hands. Your hands were all in his hair and up and down his back.

"Do you trust me?" Kylo asked you, looking down at you as he hovered over your frame. You were shaking like a leaf, filled with excitement, nervousness, and lust.

"Yes." You said. Kylo reached behind him and pulled your silk scarf out from his back pocket. He began to fold it into a long strip and brought it up to your eyes.

"I want you to just lay back and _feel_ , don't worry about what I'm doing." He said, covering your eyes and tying the scarf at the back of your head. You now couldn't see anything. You felt as Kylo wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you up to be more at the center of the bed.

He began to kiss you all over again, moving up and down your neck, showering your tits with hot wet kisses, and then moving to your stomach. His teeth grazed against your belly button and you shuttered at the sensation of his breath right at your panty line.

You froze when you felt him start to slip your panties down off you. You wanted to keep your thighs clamped closed, but that wasn't going to be. You wiggled with anticipation when you felt his lips against the inside of your knee. Slowly he was working a slow, wet trail of kisses up the inside of your legs.

"Relax... I've got you." He said softly and reassuringly. You nodded, trying to focus on your breathing and on calming down. Your legs relaxed and he pushed them more apart.

"You're _so_ pretty." He said in between your legs, you felt his breath getting closer to _that_ spot. Kylo was biting his bottom lip.

He didn't want to say anything that would scare you or make you feel awkward about yourself. His mind was going wild, you were _dripping_ wet for him and every... last... _inch_ of you was truly pretty and perfect. He groaned to himself at the thought that he was about to _wreck_ that perfect, pretty, untouched pussy of yours.

He brought his lips downed kissed you right outside your outer folds, you sharply took a breath in and brought your hand down his hair. The anticipation was _killing_ you. He had told you he could make you feel good with his mouth and you wanted it. You craved it. You wanted to scream the anticipation was so much.

Kylo pursed his lips and brought them over your little bundle of nerves and kissed and lapped at it. You tasted sweet and fresh to him, his tongue cleaning you up.

Your mind went utterly blank as new sensations took over your body. A melody of sounds escaped your lips filling the room with your pleasure.

Slowly and carefully, Kylo brought his index finger up to your opening and very slowly slid his way inside. He pumped his finger in and out of you, your head tossed back moaning incoherent words. His eyes rolled in his head at feeling just how wet and tight you were, you were about to be his and only his.

He could feel you start to tighten up, your breathing getting erratic and your hands tugging at his hair as you tried to buck into his face for more pleasure. He didn't want you to finish like this... not yet. He pulled away from you, chuckling as you protested and begged him to continue.

"I know... I know... just trust me." He softly said, placing a hand on your stomach.

You listened as fabric began to rustle, you heard his pants unzip, and you felt the mattress shift as he removed them and tossed them to the side. He pushed aside your legs with his and hovered over you, his mouth finding your neck again. You wrapped your arms around him and you gasped when you felt something hard and hot rubbing up between your folds.

It rubbed up and down, brushing over your bundle of nerves and getting absolutely coated in your juices. Kylo was holding himself back, treating every move with gentle precision.

"Are you ready?" He softly asked.

"Yes." You breathlessly said.

"You tell me if it hurts too much, ok?"

"Ok." You felt him shift and then you felt something at your opening. It gently and slowly pushed its way through. It stung for a millisecond. You focused on your breathing and relaxing. Kylo kept going, pushing his way up and into you, your body opening up and forming itself around him. Eventually your hips were flush with one another and he stopped moving.

"Oh... y/n..." He just about cried. Tears were in fact stinging his eyes, _you felt so damn good_. He rested his face in the crook of your neck and softly kissed you over and over again. He was saying silent prayers in his mind, prayers of thanks and praise for you. He had never felt like this with anyone else in his life.

You felt so full and complete, yet you needed _more._ It came naturally to you, the movement of your hips. You wiggled slightly and thrusted your hips slightly, urging him on. Kylo looked down at you and then moved his hand up and pulled the scarf off of your eyes.

He began a slow rhythmic thrusting into you all while holding your gaze in his eyes. He wanted to ensure you weren't in any kind of discomfort or pain, but your face said otherwise. You were blissed out. It felt surreal and amazing.

You were so tight around Kylo that he knew he wasn't going to last long. He brought his hand down and began gently rub at your clit. Your head tossed back as your senses and every nerve in your body was overcome with euphoria. You were beginning to feel a pressure build and you wanted and craved for that sweet release.

"You're going to cum so hard it's going to make me cum." Kylo said to you, you just nodded your head in response as the beginnings of that wild wave of pleasure crept up on you. All at once it crested and you moaned out and cried and tears streamed down your face. Your walls clamped down hard on Kylo pushing him to completion. He cursed and moaned unloading into you. You felt a warmth fill you from the inside and you felt him twitching as you both came down from your highs.

He laid carefully on top of you, kissing you and caressing you gently. He showered you with praise and words of affirmation as both your heart rates slowed. Eventually he pulled you tightly to him and squeezed you.

"We should clean up." Kylo said, pulling himself from you. You flinched since now that you were coming down, things were starting to sting and feel raw.

As he stood up you then saw _all_ of him. Your eyes went wide wondering how in the hell all of _that_ just fit inside of you. For a moment you got scared wondering if you'd be wounded. But your brain assessed yourself and you were not in excessive pain.

Kylo helped you up, you were unprepared for how wobbly your legs were, you almost fell. He held on to you and you felt this wetness dribble out from between your legs.

"Oh no..." You said, becoming embarrassed thinking you had just had an accident.

"No... it's fine. That's from me." He said with a chuckle. You didn't quite understand, but as with most things you decided you'd worry about it later.

Kylo helped you to the bathroom and you watched as he got the shower started. The two of you got in and he held you close, supporting you since your legs now had a mind of their own.

"I want you to try and pee." Kylo softly said to you as the hot water poured over both of your bodies.

"What!?" You said a bit shocked.

"Whenever we do _that_ you always have to pee right after." He said gently rubbing your back.

"Why?"

"Just trust me... you don't want to find out." He said. You closed your eyes and scrunched up your nose and stepped away from him. You tried to focus but you all of a sudden had stage fright and your muscles down there were just not cooperating. Eventually things got going and you opened your eyes once you were certain it was finished.

"Good girl." He said, pulling you close to him again. He reached behind you and got the soap and started to wash you up. He then shampooed and conditioned your hair and gently washed the makeup from your face.

You felt fuzzy and utterly happy. Already you were craving more of him. You wrapped your arms around his waist and squeezed your chest to his.

"Let's do it again." You said. To that Kylo busted out laughing before leaning down and kissing you passionately.


	14. Strictly Business

Kylo Ren had created a monster.

More specifically...

Kylo Ren had created a little dick monster. Since that was all you wanted now, and he wasn't complaining.

Sure, he was now slightly dehydrated, and might need an extra meal just to keep up with you, but the way you looked up at him though your long eyelashes, pouted your lips, and arched your back... He just couldn't say no to you.

The man was a total sucker for you.

Over the course of the following two days, the two of you had effectively christened every room of the apartment with your sex-capades. Kylo went 24 hours without checking in with the Knights and Trudgen lost their latest bet, so it was he that had to knock on the apartment door to make sure the two of you were still alive.

At that time, Kylo had you bent over the arm of the couch, your ass up and legs spread as he railed you from behind. You both froze the moment you heard the loud knock on the door.

"For fucks sake...." Kylo grumbled.

"Who is it?" You asked, your voice slightly muffled since your face was pressed into a couch cushion.

"WHAT!? AND DON'T COME IN!" Kylo yelled.

"Are you guys alive!?" You heard Trudgen yell.

"YES! AND IF ANY OF YOU COME DOWN HERE AGAIN I'LL CUT YOUR HEADS OFF!" Kylo yelled. You just giggled. You kind of liked it when Kylo got angry and threatened someone. It thrilled you.

With that situation out of the way, Kylo grabbed your hips, pushed you forward, and flipped you over before climbing on top of you and finishing what the two of you had started.

With each sex round Kylo was beginning to get more comfortable, revealing a little more of himself each time to you. He was still going relatively slow, not wanting to scare you off or overwhelm you.

You were readily happy to be tossed around by him, you loved looking in the mirror and seeing all the bite marks and hickies left all over your tits and chest. Now your new favorite thing that he liked to do was to tie your hands up on the frame of the bed and leave you _begging_ for him as he edged you to oblivion.

With each new _thing_ Kylo introduced you to, your appetite for him grew. You, from this moment on, never ever wanted to be parted from his side... ever.

Kylo watched you as you slept, your body tangled In the sheets, and your hair all fanned out on your pillow. He felt this warmth about him that only you brought on. It was then that he realized that he loved you. He had loved you for a long time without realizing it. He just hadn't ever said it out loud.

You had always been there in the Shadows watching him, being there for him with your thoughts even when Snoke kept you apart. The attraction... the draw that you two had for each other had always been there from the very beginning. Now you two were together and you were going to rule the galaxy.

You were the ultimate power couple.

Kylo reached over and gently caressed the side of your face. He leaned down and kissed the tip of your nose, your mouth, your forehead; gently waking you up from your slumber.

"Hmmm good morning." You said, fluttering your eyes open, your voice low from sleep. Your scooted towards him and buried yourself in his chest.

"Good morning." He said pulling you close to him and kissing the top of your head. You weren't even awake for a full minute yet and you were already horny. Your hands began to wander and your lips found Kylo's neck. He sighed and rolled over onto his back.

"We _have_ to get up." He groaned.

"Oh come on... just a quickie." You said, moving your body over his and straddling him.

"We have to attend the morning council meeting."

"Oh can't you just tie in via holo like you did yesterday while I gave you a blowjob? They didn't suspect a thing." You giggled.

"NO. _You_ haven't been seen in two days. I don't want people thinking you're being held hostage or anything." He said, effectively pushing you off of him. He started to get up but you reached out to him and tried to pull him back down to the bed.

"That's it..." he said rolling over, grabbing your wrists and pinning you to the bed.

"You're cut off for the rest of the day. You're not allowed to touch me any more until I say so... understood?" He was dead serious. His tone and his face struck a little bit of fear into your soul... you liked it.

"I said... do you understand?" He asked again.

You nodded your head yes.

"No. You speak when I ask you a question."

"Yes." You quickly said.

"Yes... what? Who are you talking to?"

"Yes.... _Supreme Leader._ " You said, arching one eyebrow and biting your bottom lip.

"Good. Now get your ass up and get ready. We leave in an hour." He said releasing you. He got up and went into the 'fresher, locking the door behind him

You were _soooooo_ hard to say no to. 

***

The council meetings were to be held at the First Order Capital building just a stones throw away from the apartment. You wore one of your new dresses, a black pencil dress with cutouts along the back. You decided you were going to be brave and wear heels out for the first time.

The day before Kylo had you walking around the apartment in _only_ heels. So you had gotten in a few hours of practice... minus the hour or two Kylo had you on your back with your heeled feet up over his shoulders.

You dutifully waited by the front door of the apartment for Kylo. The two of you had gotten ready apart from each other, which was probably a good thing since you needed to get over to the Capital Building and had no time to spare for shenanigans. Kylo came out from the bedroom, fully dressed and ready to go, cloak and everything. He looked you up and down and gave you a snarky crooked smile.

"What happened to your helmet?" You asked him, it only now dawning on you that it had recently disappeared.

"I broke it. Smashed it against the wall after I got pissed with Snoke that last day."

"Oh..."

"Why? Do you miss it?" He said, putting his hand at the small of your back and opening the door for you two to walk out.

"I could take it or leave it." You said once you stepped out into the hallway. Kylo locked up the apartment and you followed him at his side to the elevator which would take you to the transport pad where a transport was waiting for you.

Out on the pad all six of the Knights of Ren were lined up waiting further instruction. There were also a few stormtroopers and a few officers who quickly rushed over to Kylo to hand him a few items he needed to be briefed on. You over heard a few key phrases that caught your attention, from what you could make out, there was progress in finding where the remains of The Resistance was hiding.

"Morning Ma'am." Cardo said to you as you went to board the transport.

"What bets do you need Kylo and I to help settle between you all today?" You playfully asked. You were now fully aware that the Knights put bets on you and Kylo and what the two of you got up to.

"Bets? Us? On our Master and Mistress? Never!" Cardo defended.

"Ushar!" You called out, alerting the Knight, he rushed over to you. "I can now confirm... that sauce on the pita wraps... it's good... but not _that_ good." You smirked as you closed the door to the transport in his face. You chuckled to alone in the transport as you watched the knights through the window start to exchange credits after your confirmation over what you and Kylo had been up to.

Kylo got into the transport on the other side and slid in sitting beside you. Once again he looked you up and down, his eyes lingering were the hem of your skirt rested on your thigh.

"What did you do to the knights?" He asked you, having fully noticed their exchange.

"I'm enabling their gambling addictions."

"Of course..." He said before hitting the roof of the transport, signaling to the trooper that piloted it that you were ready to leave. The transport zipped off into the city, it was a quick ride to the capital building, and when you arrived it was into a private hangar away from prying eyes. You got out of the transport and Kylo made his way over to your side, together you walked into the building.

Inside various galactic lobbyists, First Order officers, officials, and the sorts were all waiting... desperate and vying for yours and Kylo's attentions. The Knights quickly found you again, having followed you in a separate transport, and circled around you. You were then led all the way up to the big command conference room to hold the morning council meeting.

You were slightly annoyed. You felt that you and Kylo should be able to arrive to the capital building to conduct official business without being swarmed by people. _That_ was going to have to change. If someone wanted an audience with you, they would have to request one and go though due process. Things, after all, needed to be orderly.

You sat at the head of the long conference table with Kylo standing behind you, this was proving to be your way of presenting yourselves. You watched as all the council members, and some more officials whom you were unacquainted with, filed into the room and took their seats. The meeting was quickly called to order.

The first topic that was discussed were the continued salvage operations surrounding Starkiller base and The Supremacy. It now had been days and still parts and items were being salvaged and wreckage cleaned up. Onboard The Supremacy there had been a wealth of sensitive information downloaded into the ship's database and all that needed to be retrieved.

The topic them moved on to The Resistance, it would appear that the remains of the rebels had taken up refuge on some sort of small jungle moon planet not too far from Crait. According to intelligence, the small band of rebels were suffering, lacking provisions, and were desperately hoping and praying one of their allies would come through. There was also talk that Leia Organa was badly injured or even ill.

You felt Kylo tense up, his hand gripping your shoulder.

"What would you have us do Supreme Leader?" One of the admirals asked.

"We should strike now while they're weak and defenseless." Kylo said. You, however were unsure if that would be wise. It would certainly squash them, it would end them for good, but there was always a cost.

The Resistance still had allies throughout the galaxy, hitting them while they were weak and defenseless felt like it was going against some sort of code of conduct. Not that The First Order _had_ such a code of conduct.

Your mind began to coast through multiple scenarios while Kylo and the Admirals and Generals talked though some sort of game plan. Kylo still had his hand on your shoulder, so you knew darn well he could hear what was going though your mind.

If you squashed the rebels now it could very well ignite a bigger fire pushing their allies to come out of the wood work and you would have an even bigger issue on your hands. There _had_ to be a way to solve this and end them diplomatically.

"You would have us do nothing?" Kylo said, turning to you.

"For now." You said.

"This could be our only chance."

"This could also be out only chance to win over _their_ allies to _our_ side. Strip them bare and they'll die off on their own. Attack them now and it'll push their allies against us." You responded.

"Why would we even want their allies? We don't need them." Kylo said to you.

"We don't _need_ them but _they_ need them. What can the resistance offer to the galaxy anyway? Not much, they have nothing, they are nothing. We just need to prove that we are and always will be the better option when it comes to the galaxy's best interests." You watched as Kylo mulled over your words, you were making sense. He clenched his jaw and dropped his hand from your shoulder.

"We'll discuss this later once we've gathered more intelligence." Kylo said, ending that discussion. The topic then moved on to the issue of some Lieutenant that mutanied taking private First Order documents with him. Apparently this lieutenant was holding the documents for ransom and wanted The Order to pay up.

You listened as various admirals and generals tossed their ideas into the ring over how they wanted to see the situation handled. It was of grave importance that you got those files back. It wasn't anything that had to do with security, but rather scientific matters involving weapons developments. If that information got to the black market or to a crime syndicate, anyone could use those plans to build the weapons. It was better that only The Order had the weapons, not allowing small crime gangs to cause chaos.

"Why are we even negotiating with this criminal?" You interjected.

"Pardon ma'am? Lieutenant Camgo is the son of the late General Camgo. The family had been loyal to both The Order and The Empire. Surely that should count for something." One General said.

"But he is a criminal. He mutinied from his post in the Outer Rim. Last I checked, to mutiny is a form of treachery, punishable by death. So why are we negotiating with him?" To that no one said a thing.

"I think you all are making this personal. Personal, because General Camgo was a great favorite, an impeccable leader. I bet there isn't one of you on this council board who hasn't at one time _wished_ you were as great of a leader as Camgo. You're associating General Camgo's greatness with that of his son... his son is not great, his son is a coward and a traitor." You said. It was clear by the looks on their faces that you had struck a chord with them. You were right, they were wrongfully favoring Lieutenant Camgo out of personal favoritism for his late father.

"Ma'am, it is critical we get those documents back. If we keep negotiations open with the Lieutenant he will think we are still favoring him and he is less likely to leak the documents to a third party." Another general said.

"Then keep the negotiations open, tell him yes to anything he wants. Arrange for a meeting in a public place of his choosing, send someone we all can agree upon in plain clothes and unarmed. Exchange the documents, give him what he wants, and upon leaving he will be very kindly introduced to The Knights of Ren." You said, sitting back in your chair and crossing your arms. You heard a small chuckle come from Kylo.

"Arrange it." Kylo ordered just as he placed a hand on your shoulder, giving you an assuring squeeze.

"This never needed to be personal, Gentlemen, it's strictly business." You added. A few generals awkwardly cleared their throats before the meeting moved on. You and Kylo were reminded that since the two of you would be splitting key duties within the First Order that you needed to appoint staff and private council members to your own perspective sub councils.

You and Kylo would always have the daily "all hands" morning council meeting, but when it came to the finer details of the rolls you two had, you needed separation. There already was a war council for Kylo, that wasn't going to change, but you needed to appoint your own councilors.

Files were pushed in your direction for you to review. It was critical that you made your choices by the end of the week since key events and ceremonies were quickly approaching.

Once the morning council meeting ended, you thumbed though the files briefly looking over all your potential candidates for appointment. Kylo and you were alone in the board room, he was pacing back and forth behind you as you read over the file of a candidate.

Out of nowhere, your chair swiveled around. Kylo was bent down, both his hands on the arm rests of the chair, pinning you in place.

"You think you're hot stuff, ordering _my_ Knights to go assassinate a traitor don't you?" Kylo said.

" _Your_ Knights. I thought they were _our_ Knights." You said back to him.

"You're so damn hot barking orders like that." He said before crashing his mouth into yours. You quickly found yourself bringing your hands up to his face, but he grabbed you by the wrists and shoved them down to the armrests of the chair.

"You're still not allowed to touch me."He said into your ear.

"You can't be serious?" You clenched your thighs together, feeling that heat of want wash over you.

"I'm always serious." Shoving your knees apart with his leg and kneeling down before you. You kept your arms firmly pressed to the armrests of the chair as he pushed your dress up to your waist. He grabbed you by the hips and yanked you down to the edge of the chair.

With his hands still gloved he brought his fingers up to your panty covered folds and pushed the fabric aside.

"Hm... would you look at that. Already wet and I haven't even done anything yet." He said. He leaned forward and kissed the inside of your left thigh and then your right, alternating as he went until he was just _right there._

With one _looong_ and slow stroke of his tongue he licked you from taint to clit. You bit at your bottom lip to stop yourself from moaning loudly and you were squirming in the chair. He pulled his face away from you and brought his hands up to your panties and slipped them down your legs, taking them off of you.

He then stood up, tuck your panties into his pocket, and smirked at you.

" _Please?_ " You whimpered.

"Come on, we're in the board room... what are you doing? Get yourself together." He said with a chuckle. You frowned at him and pulled your dress back down to its appropriate length.

"Can I have my underwear back please?" You asked.

"No." He said, patting the pocket he had them in. You rolled your eyes and started to gather the files you had to look over.  
  
  


***  
  
  


Kylo had his war council meeting, so that meant you had a few hours to yourself. A female officer by the name of Danka showed you around the Capital Building. The Supreme Leader had his own office here, so it was only fitting that you would have one of your own.

Danka was a nice girl, your age practically. She had slicked back brown hair that she kept in a practical bun and she wore a typically ill fitting officer's uniform with matching hat. You were glad you weren't subjected to uniforms such as those, they were unisex and unflattering on everyone.

Danka showed you several office options that were very close to Kylo's office. You selected the one with the large windows that looked down into the courtyard that the Capital building boasted. There was already a desk and two chairs in the office, but that was it, you would need to order furnishings for yourself.

It was still undetermined as to how long you and Kylo intended to stay on Coruscant. Snoke never stayed in one place too long, he had always been aware of the possibility of enemy attack . So that was why Snoke stayed onboard the Supremacy.

You sat down at the desk and started to pour over the files. You had 6 positions you wanted to fill and so far no one was jumping out at you. Every candidate was duller than the last.

You wanted to bring about change to The Order. You were keenly aware that most of the Galaxy's citizens felt that the First Order was nothing more than a feelingless machine incapable of humanity. You wanted to change that.

You recognized that that in certain areas, things still needed to be ruled with an iron fist, but in other areas it seemed completely feasible to show kindness and care. There were several Snoke era policies you wanted to roll back, you would need to discuss that later with Kylo.

Things needed to take place slowly and with care to prevent any pushback or confusion. So you decided that your big "debut" for how you wanted to set the tone for the galaxy would be at the annual Command ball.

You had attended almost every single Command Ball since being snatched by Snoke. Every year it was always the same boring old thing. A formal dinner with every one in a high-ranking leadership position, an hour of live music, a few awards and speeches, and then that was it. There was nothing "special" about it. You were going to change that. You were actually going to turn it into a _real_ ball.

The command ball was only six months away, you had plenty of time. And you would have help once you filled all your council seats. You decided that tomorrow you would interwove all the candidates and make a decision.

A knock came from your door and you looked up to see that it was Ap'lek peeking in.

"Yes?" You asked.

"Master Ren has made a decision regarding The Resistance and whether we will be attacking them or not." Ap'lek said.

"And?"

"He requests your presence in his office." You knew this couldn't be good. You gathered all your files and handed them to Danka who was stationed outside your door. You told her to have them sent over to the apartment so you could look at them later. You then followed Ap'lek to Kylo's office.

Kylo's office was just as sparse as yours was. He was standing behind his desk, his back to the door, gazing out the large window. Once you entered the office you turned and closed the door, leaving you and him alone.

"Hey." You softly said. You could tell by the way he was standing alone that he was deep in conflicting thought.

"The War Council wants to attack The Resistance." Kylo said.

"Is that your decision?"

"I told them no"

"No?" You were surprised, you thought for sure he was just going to attack them even after listening to what you had to say.

"Because you were right. We should strip them of their allies, leave them with nothing." You smiled in response. He stepped towards you and brought his hand up to your face, rubbing his thumb like he always did over your lips.

"As long as you're happy with that decision." You said.

"I am." He said, leaning down and kissing you. He wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you tightly to him, you wanted to reach out and wrap your arms around him too, but you remembered his stupid rule for the day.

"Mmm... am I _still_ not allowed to touch you?" You asked.

"Later." He said before kissing you again.

"How much later?"

"After I take you to dinner."

"Dinner?"

"Yeah... and then you're going to fuck me in the back of the transport." He said, smiling down on you as he went to kiss you again.

_Stars he made your head spin._   
  
  


_***_   
  
  


The Supreme Leader took his little wife to the fanciest restaurant on Coruscant. Inside, the other patrons whispered amongst themselves as they stole glances in your direction.

Kylo wore his usual all black attire, and you wore a floor length satin green gown. The two of you sat on the same side of the table, unlike other couples that were there, who sat across from each other. Kylo wanted to be able to put his arm around you and whisper in your ear. It was unlike him to want to show affection in public, but here in the restaurant he was making a big exception.

The two of you had discussed it in the transport ride over to the restaurant. It was all part of your grand plan for the Galaxy. The two of you wanted to make a point to show that your union together wasn't just a political and diplomatic one, but that the two of you were _genuinely_ enamored with each other.

You two ate your meals, drank Champagne, and then dined on the _best_ Chocolate cake you had ever had. You blushed when the cake arrived at the table, remembering how Kylo fed it to you while you came in the bath tub.

"Eat up, because you're going to cum again like that in the transport back to the apartment." He whispered to you as he handed you your dessert fork. You ate your cake painfully slow, being sure to look Kylo dead in the eye as you licked the frosting from the fork. He had been teasing you all day, and now you were making him pay.

You had been obedient, not touching him even though he kept putting his hands all over you. Before dinner, back at the apartment, he grabbed you as you were getting dressed and spanked you a few times, before abandoning you to get himself ready. You still hadn't been granted your underwear back, in fact, he _still_ had that same pair in his pocket right there at the dinner table.

"You're done." He said, growing tired of your teasing. He took his own dessert fork and stabbed the last piece of cake and shoved it into his mouth. He then raised his hand, signaling to the waiter that he wanted the check.

With the check settled, you and Kylo made your way out of the restaurant to the waiting transport. Kylo leaned over to the two stormtroopers that were in the front compartment to fly the thing and used the force on them.

"You will take the longest way back to our apartment and you will remember nothing of what you hear happen in the back of this transport." He said, waving his hand over their faces. In the back seat, with the divider raised, separating the back from the front two stormtroopers, you were giggling.

Kylo climbed into the back, pulled the door shut, and then banged on the ceiling to tell them to start going. He then leaned over to you and pulled you to him. You two kissed each other feverishly and aggressively, almost like the two of you were fighting for dominance.

"You may touch me now." Kylo finally said to you. You squealed with glee and then reached out and pulled him to you. Your tongues danced with each other and your lips took turns exploring each other's necks.

Kylo pulled down the straps of your gown to have access to your shoulders, nibbling and sucking on them. You pushed him off of you and raised yourself up, climbing on him, straddling him and pulling up your dress. You were already wet from being teased all day, so when you lowered yourself on to his thigh, you knew for a certain there was going to be a wet mark left behind, and Kylo knew this too.

His fingers gripped at your hips, moving them, forcing you to ride his thigh. You were finally getting relief from the intense nagging you've had all day, but you wanted more.

"I just want you inside me." You moaned out.

"Then put me inside you." He said. Your hands quickly found his belt buckle and pants zipper. Within no time, you had him freed. You lifted yourself up and lowered yourself down on him, both of you moaning loudly.

Kylo brought his hand up to your neck and brought his fingers around your throat. Squeezing lightly he forced you to look deeply into his eyes.

"You've become _quite_ the little dick monster these past three days. All you want is my dick don't you?" He asked, his hand still firmly around your throat.

"Ye..yes."

"Tsk...we talked about this... yes what?"

"Yes Supreme Leader.... all I want is _your_ dick." You say.

"Good... now _you're_ going to fuck _me,_ and I better cum first this time." He said.

"Yes... Supreme... leader..." You said as you began to rock you hips and bounce up and down. Within no time your legs were on fire as you used them to support your weight and bounce yourself up and down. Beneath you, Kylo had his head tossed back against the seat, his hands tightly gripped to your hips and he was working on stifling the moans that were trying to creep out of his mouth.

"Am I doing a good job?" You breathlessly asked, you needed him to say something, your legs were about to give out and you needed just an ounce of reassurance to keep going.

"Ye... yes... don't stop, I'm _so_ close." He managed to say. "Gahhh.. You're so perfect." He added. This was enough to push you further. Your eyes were fixed on his face. You watched as he squeezed his eyes shut and felt all his muscles tense up, he even bucked into you a few times, filling you up with his seed.

"Oh shit..." He said as he came down from his high. You stayed on top of him and kissed him all over his face like he kissed you after you came.

As his breathing slowed, he raised his hand up and ran it through your hair. You two were just starting at each other, both of you feeling that warm feeling you had for each other. His eyes were all dilated and his face was soft and relaxed as he gazed at you. It almost looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't really put it into words.

While he was still inside you and his hands were on your hips still, you began to feel a sensation over your clit. You looked at him with a shocked expression on your face, you knew The Force when you felt it. You couldn't help but rock you hips as he manipulated the force around your clit, twiddling at it and twirling at it.

You brought your hands up to your tits and squeezed them yourself, dipping your fingers below the fabric of the dress and pinching at your own nipples. Kylo leaned back and just watched you. Your hair was disheveled and you had mascara smudged around your eyes, you looked positively fucked.

He flinched when you came because your muscles spasmed and clamped down on him while he was still inside you. You leaned forward and rested all your weight on him. Your legs were done. You were sure you would be unable to walk once the transport arrived to the apartment building.

You felt Kylo shift under you and he reached into his pocket, removing your panties he had stolen from you earlier in the day.

"Here... you can have these back now." He said.  
  
  
  
  
  


**_***************_ **

**_A/N_ **

**Hey. idk if I'll get to do any writing over the next two days or so! So I hope these last two chapters are enough to keep you guys satisfied!!!**

**Once again I love reading all your comments, they really do give me life! I'll literally be laughing alone to myself as I see them start to roll in.**

**Anywho, once again, feel free to share this fic with other Kylo Stans so that we can grow our read count!**

**Also please let me know how you guys like my version of The Knights.**

**And if anyone can make that TikTok with Kylo going "I created a monster!" with that Eminem audio and tag me... that would be great. LOL!!!!!**

**_xoxo,_ **

**_Nia_** 💋


	15. Valiance

**A/n**

**Y'all I worked really hard on this one. I was on wookieepedia for hours. Also I am sorry this is a rather "wordy" chapter. When I said I'm a story teller... I meant it. Details matter to me. Also... reading though is important because I like to scatter details that will be critical for later in the story. I know you all are awesome, but I'm always self conscious that some don't read for the story and just look for the spicy scenes🔥.**

"The Finalizer is going to be the lead ship, but to do that it needs a full weapons overhaul and some updating. So until then...." Kylo said dropping his hands from your eyes. He woke you up at an ungodly hour, urged you to get dressed, and whisked you, the Knights, and several Generals off in a First Order Leisure Yacht to the planet of Kuat.

"What is it?" You said, looking down into the massive shipyard that held a star destroyer.

"It's a brand new Mandator IV- Class Siege Dreadnought. They just finished painting the rooms last night." He said beginning to walk down the ramparts towards the vessel. He looked absolutely adorable, all excited and giddy over the new ship.

"Why keep the Finalizer as the lead ship when we have a new one?" You questioned.

"Because the Finalizer is my ship.... you need a ship." He said. You blinked a few times before it registered.

Normal men got their wives jewelry or flowers. The Supreme Leader and the Master of The Knights of Ren got his wife a whole ass Star Destroyer.

"Does it have one of those big guns on it? Make planets go boom?" You playfully said.

"It has.... two." He said leaning down to whisper it in your ear. You squeaked with excitement. He respectfully linked arms with yours and the two of you, followed by your entourage, went down to inspect the ship.

The Kuat Drive Yards were some of the oldest shipyards in the Galaxy with a rich and loyal history dating back to your grandfather's tenure as Supreme Chancellor a decade before the start of The Clone Wars. After the fall of The Empire, The New Republic forced Kuat Drive Yards to surrender. Fortunately drive yard executives never wavered in their Loyalty and were now pledged to The First Order.

The current executives of the Kuat Drive Yards greeted you at the entrance ramp of the new ship. They bowed their heads and then shook both yours and Kylo's hands.

As you boarded the ship, you could smell the fresh paint and steel. Everything looked so shiny and pristine. It was also eerie to be in a completely empty Star destroyer.

The vessel was 7,670 meters in length, 4,121 meters in width, and was 770 meters high. It boasted main sublight engines and enhanced hyperdrives. It had double the deflector shields as previous vessels of its class as well as extensive enhancements to autocannons and anti-aircraft cannons.

A crew of 53,000 officers, 22,000 stormtroopers, and an additional 140,000 personnel would be needed for it to be functional. The thing was a weapon of terror and a huge flex towards the First Order's might and influence.

"Well? What do you think?" Kylo asked you as you inspected the bridge.

"She's a killer." You said, running your dainty fingers over the powered down controls.

"She is. We'll be able to use this ship to show the galaxy our might and strength."

"What will we call her?"

"She's your ship. Name her whatever you want. You can also choose whom you want in command as well as battalions. You're the boss with this one." Kylo said. You wanted to kiss him, you really did, but the Kuat Executives and your Generals were just a few feet away. So you reached your hand up to the side of his face and rubbed your thumb over his lips. The simplistic action had quickly become the go to sign of affection you two shared between yourselves when others were around.

"She'll be christened next week and we'll take her on her maiden voyage to inspect allied planets. Which reminds me, our stay on Coruscant is coming to an end." Kylo said.

"I figured." You solemnly said. You truly had been enjoying your time on the city planet, and you had become comfortable in the apartment.

"We haven't seen our quarters here on this ship." He said with a little smirk, offering you his arm. You gladly took it and he led the way towards what would be your private quarters.

The new space was massive and all white. It was bigger than the apartment. It boasted a semi open layout with only the bedroom and 'fresher being separate from the large living space and kitchenette. You liked the idea of the kitchenette, having food brought to you by a droid was very old.

The space also boasted two offices, both of equal sizes. The offices had two entry points. A private entry point from your private quarters and one personnel could use from the main hallway.

The space wasn't furnished yet, but you already had ideas. Your heels clicked on the metal flooring, the clicking echoing through the space. Right now the rooms were cold and unfeeling, you intended to change that.

"Sir, we can go ahead and start furnishing the space according to your specifications. We can follow the same format as The Finalizer if you wish." One of the executives said to Kylo.

"No. Mistress Ren will have the final say as to how this space is furnished." Kylo said pointing to you. The executive looked embarrassed, but stepped forward towards you with his datapad.

"We can go over furnishing options if you wish, Ma'am." He said. You smiled and looked at the datapad. You made your selections, which the executives called "unique". You knew they were unique and unlike anything else in The First Order. You wanted your private living space to be a place of calmness and peace. A retreat for you and Kylo.

The items you selected had softer lines to them, they weren't as harsh or unfeeling. Fabrics were plush and you wanted area rugs so that your feet weren't cold when walking on the flooring.

Kylo paced back and forth off to the side while you made your selections. You smiled when you caught him opening and closing the cabinet doors in the kitchenette and fiddling with the faucet. You held back a smirk when he put his hands on the counter and tried to shake the structure. He was testing its integrity.

"I think that will be all ma'am. We'll have the space ready in no time." The Executive said. You smiled and waved him away before walking over to Kylo.

"So.... next week we call this home." You said.

"Next week we call this home." He confirmed. 

***

You had made your council selections after interviewing all the candidates. You were glad you did. On paper they all seemed dull and drab, but in person there were 6 that stood out to you. Filling the positions was a huge weight lifted off your shoulders. You and your council would meet everyday... save weekends... to discuss ceremonial, humanitarian, outreach, and public relations issues that affected The First Order.

You were now working on filling key positions for _your_ new ship.

Kylo was in the shower while you sat on the bed in a lace and silk nightgown. You sat cross legged with files spread all around you. There was _one_ key position you needed to fill and you were torn about your choice.

"You appointed Pryde as Allegiant General right?" You asked Kylo without looking up from your paperwork.

"Yeah. Why?" He said, as he dried his hair with his towel and went to get underwear out of the drawer.

"Why him over Hux?"

"Because Hux always pisses me off."

"So if I gave Hux command of the new ship, would you take issue with it?"

You heard him sigh and think for a moment before tuning to you.

"I guess not. He's having his own little pity party right now since he wasn't appointed Allegiant General."

"Command of a new ship will cheer him up." You said pulling all the paperwork together and putting it on the nightstand. You laid back in the bed and looked over at Kylo. He still had beads of water on his back.

You sat up and crawled forward on the bed towards him, reaching out and taking his hand. You yanked him towards you, causing him to stumble and land on top of you on the bed.

You giggled and wrapped you legs around his waist before bringing your mouth to his. It took no more than that before you were being fucked senseless by him for the umpteenth time that week.

***

You waited nervously in your office in the Capital building. All week you had been making appointments and giving officials good news that they had been chosen for a new position. Yet when it came to meeting with Hux, you were nervous. 

You knew how proud Hux was, how important success was to him, and after the failure of Starkiller Base, the death of Snoke, and the appointment of Pryde to allegiant general over him, you were certain he was feeling low. 

Your suspicions were confirmed when Danka opened your office door and announced that Hux had arrived.

"You can send him in, thank you." You told Danka. Danka had quickly become your right hand woman, she was very proficient, punctual, and was nice to talk to. You were in negotiations to have her post transferred over to you so that she could serve as your personal assistant. 

Hux entered the room and you saw that your suspicions about his pride were in fact true. His hair wasn't _as_ neat as he normally kept it, and he was in need of a shave. You also saw that he had dark circles under his eyes.

"General Armitage Hux." You said, standing up from behind your desk.

"Your Grace." Hux sighed, you motioned for him to take a seat and then you walked form behind your desk to sit in the seat right next to him.

"How are you doing?" You asked him.

"Never better." He sarcastically said. 

"I know you must be disappointed about the Allegiant General's position going to Pryde."

"Disappointment is an understatement. I worked my whole life to have some sort of recognition. I guess the position just goes to the better man."

"Well... The Finalizer is to be the new Lead ship which Pryde will have command of. However, the Finalizer will need to undergo repairs and updates. I'm told that will take up to a year." You say.

"What does that have to do with me?"

"I'm sure you're aware that The Supreme Leader has gifted me my own Destroyer. It's a Mandator IV- Class Siege Dreadnought. Until work on The Finalizer is completed, we will be using the new ship as the lead vessel. So Pryde will be stuck on Coruscant for the foreseeable future until the repairs and updates are made."

"I know all of this." Hux said. 

"I find myself needing to appoint a General to the new ship. I have decided that _you_ are the man for the job." You saw that he perked up a bit hearing that news. With Pryde stuck with The Finalizer, the command of the new ship would make Hux the defacto Allegiant General in his place. 

"Me? Command of the new ship?" He asked. 

"Yes. There's no one better for the job. _And...._ you won't have to deal with Kylo since it's _my ship,_ You answer to me. It really is a win win situation." You chuckled. 

"I'm... I'm honored. Truly." He said, his facial features softening.

"The christening is on Friday and then we leave to tour and inspect allied planets. You'll need to call the Kuat Drive Yards tonight and tell them how you want your private quarters furnished." You say, handing him a file of information.

"What is the new ship to be called?"

" _The Valiance._ I thought of it last night. It means heroic or having Valor." You said proud of yourself.

"Are you sure you don't want to call it... something more... fear inspiring? I don't know. Like _The Death Eater_ or something like that?" He asked.

"I'll leave those kinds of names to you and Kylo. He suggested we call it _The Punisher_. I want to go in a different direction with the Galaxy. I want to be feared and I want control, but we should also have citizens who we inspire and who want to readily support us out of principle and respect. Not fear and obligation."

"So you want to be loved and feared?" He questioned.

"Yes."

"Well if there's one person who will be able to do that... it's you." He said with a chuckle.

***

You nervously stood on the podium in front of the new Star Destroyer and looked up to see a curtain covering the ship's new name. This was a _big_ moment for you. The launching of a New First Order Naval ship, your first "official" public engagement, and the start of your first Galactic tour. 

Thousands were standing in front of you. Stormtroopers, Officers, personnel, Generals, Admirals, Captains, and many more. You stood there next to Kylo and behind Hux. You were given the opportunity to make the christening speech, but you didn't feel ready for that quite yet, so you had Hux do it, which of course he gladly did. 

Hux prepared a moving speech akin to the one he gave on Starkiller Base. He spoke about the might of the first order, how _this_ was to be the dawning of a new era. That under new leadership The First Order will lead the galaxy towards unprecedented unity and peace. Hux was a good public speaker. 

You were nervous. You were counting the minutes until it was your turn to take the bottle of Champagne and physically christen the vessel and pull down the curtain to reveal the name.

"You're shaking like a leaf." Kylo whispered to you.

"I'm nervous." You whispered back. He had his hand at the small of your back to steady you. The both of you were in matching black cloaks, and under your cloak you wore a long black gown for the occasion. 

"You're doing amazing." Kylo whispered back, giving you a squeeze on the hip.

Across the galaxy, hidden away in a rundown and damp bunker. Leia Organa was watching the ceremony unfold via Holo. Around her what remained of her forces also watched. Her eyes were fixed on her son and you. She wasn't missing a thing that went on between you two. She had seen the pictures that leaked from your night out at the restaurant, and she was now gazing at the little minute signs of affection her son displayed for you. 

"Is she really a Palpatine?" Rey asked.

"Yes... unfortunately. Luke and I searched for her for many years, we assumed she was dead along with her parents and older brother." Leia said.

"How is it the Emperor even had children?" Finn asked.

"Sheev Palpatine kept himself hidden from the Jedi for decades, he was able to do that using both the deceptive powers of the dark side as well as faking a regular life. He had several wives, all of various ages thought the course of his life as a senator and chancellor. Those wives had children. Those children were given false names to hide their identities and they grew up to serve the empire." Leia explained. 

"So there could be _more_ Palpatine family members out there?" Rey asked, Leia looked up at Rey and gazed at her for a long time. Leia had already begun to train the young scavenger girl in the ways of the force. To Leia there was something unsettlingly familiar about her that she could not confirm. 

"It's unlikely... we were able to confirm the deaths of the emperor's other sons at the destruction of the second Death Star. It was Mance Palpatine who was only twenty at that time, he went into hiding for many years, married, and eventually had two children... _tha_ _t we can confirm_. We were able to make contact once with him, but he would have nothing to do with us." Leia said.

"How did you lose track of her?" Finn asked.

"Their homestead was attacked when she was an infant. We assumed Mance, his son... _her..._ and Mance's wife were all dead. The only confirmation we could find was the body of Mance's wife." Leia solemnly said. 

"And now the grandson of Darth Vader and the Granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine are together..." Finn added as everyone looked back at the holo. There was a coldness and misery to the space now. Everyone was filled with dread. 

Hux had finished his speech and he turned to you, giving you the stage. You stepped forward and waved to the crowd who cheered. You were handed a bottle of fine Champagne. 

"Just chuck it at the ship." Hux told you. You steadied yourself with the bottle in hand, you aimed and then threw it with all your might against the side of the ship. It shattered into a million pieces and the find liquid spattered. At the moment of impact the engines of the ship fired up and the curtain covering the name fell.

 _The Valiance._ She was a sight to behold. 

The crowd cheered and saluted. It was done. The newest vessel in the navy was ready for its maiden voyage. 

You walked back over to Kylo's side, he reached out and out a protective arm around you, pulling you tightly to his side. 

"It's our time now." Kylo said to you.

"Yes... long may we reign." You said with a smile.

***********

**No... I didn't make mistakes in my own story telling 😉**

**Gahh... I know I said I didn't know if I would have time to write, but jokes on me. I always find time to write. Now I KNOW I won't be writing tomorrow. I'll be too busy.**

**Do you guys like it when I just roll out chapter after chapter, or would you prefer it if I scheduled it to a specific day of the week that way we can stretch this story out? I have no real game plan with this like I did with "The In Between" so we could be looking at a looooooooooooooooooooooong story here. Let me know.**

**also idk how I feel about this chapter, its critical to the story I know for a fact, but I felt like it was boring. I am my own worst critic.**

**any who, stay safe y'all,**

**xoxo,**

**Nia 💋**


	16. Interference

The new private quarters on _The Valiance_ were just to your specifications. You had a large sectional sofa which faced a holoprojector and a plush ottoman. There was now an elegant wooden dining table, and a fully stocked kitchenette.

In your master bedroom you had a massive four poster bed complete with canopy and plush blankets and over a dozen throw pillows. You had candles and flowers, elegant classical artwork, and every luxury comfort item you could think of.

In your large walk in closet, which now housed your extensive new wardrobe, you had a massive ornate floor to ceiling mirror put up. You had seen the mirror in an antiques market on the first planet you toured and you _had_ to have it. The mirror served three purposes: so you could see your outfits, to make the closet feel bigger and brighter, and lastly....  
For Kylo to fuck you relentlessly in front of.

Kylo sat on your little vanity stool with you on top of him facing the mirror so the two of you could watch yourselves. Kylo held your legs spread while he thrusted into you from his sitting position. You gripped at his thighs for stability as a cascade of incoherent words and noises fell from your lips.

One good thing about sex in your closet was... there was ZERO chance of anyone hearing you two.

From this particular angle, Kylo's dick was hitting a spot deep within you that felt like heaven itself. You couldn't help but notice that him hitting that spot in particular got you _extra_ wet, to the point that it was dripping down you and on to him with each thrust of his hips.

You loved watching his face in the mirror. He would bite his bottom lip or gnaw on his cheek in between praising and worshiping you. He had this one strand of black hair that would fall over his forehead and flop back and forth as he railed into you.

Over the past two months, the two of you had managed to fuck each other in every position physically possible by this point. This position, in front of the mirror, was by far the most erotic. You could watch him at stretch you out with each thrust, and you could see your milky fluids coating his length. Watching it alone was enough to push you closer to the edge.

You tossed your head back to rest it on his shoulder, your mouth hung open as deep breathy moans escaped your lips. With your neck now exposed, he leaned down to lay kisses all up and down the side of your neck.

"Ohhh... _stars_... you make me feel so good." You say. Kylo dropped one of your legs and brought his hand up to your throat and gave a light squeeze.

"You're always so wet and tight for me.... fuck..." he groaned. He pushed you forward and you fell to your hands and knees. You were grateful for your discarded bathrobe to cushion your fall. Only minutes ago, you were fresh out of the shower trying to decide what to wear for the day when Kylo came in and dropped his bath towel and told you to get on your knees.

He reentered you from behind, you arched your back and gave your hips a little wiggle, urging him to continue the pace he had before. As Kylo's hips snapped against your bottom, you could hear your communicator beeping in the distance.

 _What time is it?_ You briefly wondered. Eventually your communicator stopped beeping.

Kylo reached around and found your clit and began softly twirling at it. Your eyes rolled and you bit your bottom lip. You caught the sight of yourself in the mirror, you looked like a hot euphoric mess.

Only a minute had gone by and your communicator started beeping again. Your groaned in annoyance at the interruption, yet you decided to not let it bother you. You focused instead on the extreme bliss that was being thrust and swirled upon you.

You were _soooo_ close. You could feel yourself swelling, the blood flow in your legs shifting, and your walls tightening. _Almost there._

Kylo stopped his thrusting and ceased all movement of his hand. You looked up, ready to spew words of protest at him, your eyes locked with his in the mirror just as he brought _your_ communicator up to his ear. You hadn't realized it had started ringing a third time.

"Hello?...... ahh General Hux, good morning....." Kylo began. You gasped and your cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Kylo had a deliciously devilish look on his face and a dark glimmer in his eye. He kept himself balls deep inside of you and began to twirl his fingers against your clit once more. You struggled to stifle your moans.

"Yes she is aware of the debriefing this morning..... she'll be up to the bridge soon....... she's _perfectly_ fine....." Kylo said before holding the communicator between his cheek and shoulder and slapping your ass hard, causing you to squeal loudly. You couldn't help it. He surprised you.

"Oh... that was nothing.... I have her tending to some _personal duties_ at the moment.... don't worry I'll have her back on her feet soon." Kylo said before clicking the communicator off and tossing it across the room.

"You are _soooo_ bad!" You said with a giggle.

"Yes I am." He said before pulling himself out of you and aggressively railing himself back in. You were already close to cumming before, and now you were _right there._ All it took was a few more thrusts from Kylo and you were a blubbering mess, tears streaming down your face, legs shaking, walls spasming.

Kylo was only a few moments behind you, swearing and moaning, unloading into you.

_Great... there goes your shower for the day._

You flopped forward and rolled over onto your side and looked up at Kylo who had a goofy grin on his face. He laid down next you and pulled you close, kissing you on the tip of your nose.

"Hmmm what time is it?" You ask.

"8:45." He sighed.

"Shit!" You said, removing yourself from his grasp. He tried to grab your ankle, but you rushed out of the closet back to the bathroom to finish getting ready. 

***

Danka met you in the main corridor while you made you way up to the bridge. You smiled when you saw she was in her new uniform; a below the knee length gunmetal grey pencil dress that had her rank insignia sewn into a badge she wore pinned just below the collar. Danka was quite strikingly pretty once you got her her new uniform and told her she could do her hair and makeup however she wanted.

Danka was now officially your personal assistant, and boy was she a good one. She took pride in being up to date on everything, she barely made any mistakes, she was an excellent companion, and most importantly she wasn't scared of the Knights.

"Good morning Ma'am. I have the media reports that came in overnight." Danka said as soon as you met up with her.

"Oh perfect. Tell me about them as we walk up to the bridge. I'm running a few minutes late to meet General Hux this morning."

"Certainly...." Danka began. You listened as Danka read off all the headlines that the media was running after your visit to the planet Lothal. You and Kylo had inspected several bases, had talks with local leaders, you hosted a small dinner party for Lothal Base commanders and their families, and you went and visited a battered women's shelter.

According to what Danka was reading out to you, it sounded like the visit was a success. Your's and Kylo's public approval ratings were steadily rising and you found yourself to be the Galaxy's new fashion icon.

"We visit Naboo next week. Are there any arrangements made for any humanitarian visits yet?" You asked Danka.

"No. But I have someone compiling a list of charities in need of patronage. I was thinking you could select one or two you would like to be patron of?" Danka responded

"That would be excellent." You said just as the blast doors to the bridge opened. As you entered all the officers and attending personnel rose to attention as you passed. You made you way directly to Hux.

"Good morning!" You said with a smile hoping and praying Kylo's words to Hux over the communicator went over his head. Hux nodded at you in response.

"Good morning Danka." Hux said with a smile once he saw your assistant and.... did you notice a _wink?!_

"Good morning General." Danka responded with a small giggle. You sighed and rolled your eyes. Danka had a crush on Hux and you knew it too.

"I apologize for the delay. We should get the briefing started." You said trying to divert Hux's attention back to the task at hand.

"As you wish..." Hux began.

"Danka... find out what the Knights of Ren are up to today." You said turning to your assistant.

"But..."

"Go!" You said firmly yet kindly to her. Quickly, Danka scurried away. Hux started briefing you on the refueling debriefing. Over night the fuel cells for _The Valiance_ were refilled. Since starting the tour and the ship's maiden voyage, it was the first time the fuel cells were to be refueled. Hux went over the specifics on how the task went and how the engines were handling things.

You listened intently and tried to ask appropriate questions, really you had very little knowledge about the engineering specifics of the ship, but since she was your ship, you needed to know.

"I heard there are favorable reports coming out of Lothal. The visit was a great success." Hux said after finishing the briefing.

"Yes, it it appears to be very successful. Approval ratings are steadily on the rise and there was even a crowd of spectators to wish us off when we left." You proudly said.

"Wonderful. It would appear things are progressing nicely." Hux said before clasping his hands behind his back like he always did. You'd be lying to yourself if you thought things weren't awkward with him this morning. You were slightly annoyed at Kylo for doing what he did. Things had been going so well between the two men. You proved yourself to be a good mediator, they both were able to accomplish their duties so long as they didn't have to deal with each other. 

"You should fix your collar. You don't want anyone else knowing about your... _personal duties."_ Hux said breaking the moment of silence you two shared. You brought your hand up to your dress's turtle neck collar and adjusted it. You had originally wanted to wear a different dress, but after what Kylo decided to do to your neck that morning, a turtle neck was warranted.

"I wasn't _that_ late this morning. You didn't have to call so early... and so many times." You grumbled.

"You're usually here by 8:30 every morning. I got worried."

"Like anything is going to happen to me. Between you... Kylo... and all 6 of the Knights..."

"No need to lecture me... I most _certainly_ won't be calling you before 9 ever again. That was a piece of information I think I could go the rest of my life never knowing." He said grimacing.

"Oh and what did you think we did in private? Play chess?"

"Yes. Or play cards. That's how I like to think of things. Not.... _that._ " He said. You just chuckled. In recent weeks things had returned to a normalcy you had once shared with Hux. Your mutual friendship and brother/sister relationship had rekindled and the two of you often shared witty banter back and forth.

"We have sex... and often... get over it." You said, rolling your eyes and crossing your arms over your chest.

"Gross! And quiet down. The officers don't need their ears to bleed like mine did this morning."

"Next week... when we are on Naboo, I want you to take Danka out to dinner." You said, quickly changing the topic.

"Danka... your assistant?" Hux scoffed.

"Yes. The one you flirt with every day."

"I do _not_ flirt with her." Hux said. You just gave him a look.

"Ok. Ok. I like her. She's very proficient and professional. I like that in a person. And she's pretty." He admitted you just smirked.

"Take her out to dinner and then maybe you might get your own _personal duties_ tended to. Maker knows you need it." You said as you went to walk away.

***

**_Kylo's POV_ **

Kylo needed to stay busy, because if he was alone with his thoughts for more than a minute, all he would think about was _her._

For the first time in his entire life, Kylo's mind was his own, and he had someone at his side who genuinely supported him. She accepted him as he was, on the good days _and_ the bad. She was his perfect compliment and kept him grounded and focused on what _he_ wanted.

He was done serving other masters and being a slave to ancient ideologies. He allowed the Force to flow through him and tell him what to do. He felt whole and finally at peace with who he was. He was done with people telling him who he _should_ be.

He still had his regrets and demons he dealt with, but with her help, he was coping.

Two months. It had been two months already in power and it couldn't be going any better. Together she and Kylo had accomplished more in two months than Snoke did in the _years_ he was in power.

Allies and loyal citizens _loved_ her, and in turn favor for him was growing. Her idea about publicizing and implementing humanitarian efforts was a huge success. She brought a softer, more feminine side to The First Order that the public ate up willingly.

Kylo Ren was an absolute goner for her. Although he still had yet to verbalize those feelings for her. She made him feel strong and powerful, and he was certain he made her feel the same way. He loved the way her eyes lit up when she saw him, and how she would bite the inside of her lip so she could stop herself from giggling like a school girl around him.

Vicrul arrived in Kylo's office that morning to inform him that the Knights were ready to go on their mission. It was time to apprehend that Lieutenant that mutinied.

"You seem chipper this morning." Vicrul said as they marched through the corridors towards The Nightbuzzard's hangar.

"I slept good." Kylo responded.

"Oh... is _that_ what it is? I thought it might be something else."

"Shut the fuck up."

"You know... _we_ could use some cheering up too. It's been weeks since we've had leave. If I hear Trugen on his late night calls to Nilly one more time I'm going to put my head through a metal wall." Vicrul scoffed.

"Trugen and Ap'lek are the only ones that have people..." Kylo began.

"I have people!"

" _Please,_ barmaids at seedy cantinas don't count as _having_ _people_." Kylo chuckled as they entered the hangar.

"They do to me." Vicrul sulked.

The other knights stood to attention once Kylo entered the space. He waved at them telling them that they could be at ease before climbing the ramp of The Nightbuzzard. Soon enough the others were also boarded and they were off to apprehend a traitor.

**_End Kylo's POV_ **   
  
  


***  
  
  


You stood in The Nightbuzzard's hangar waiting for it's return. To be honest, you were nervous. The mission was only supposed to take two maybe three hours tops. It was now going on eight hours. You had no communication with Kylo or any of the other Knights, and the officer you sent in with plain clothes to retrieve the plans had gone missing.

You were worried.

This was highly unusual.

You focused your eyes out into the emptiness of space and tried to will The Nightbuzzard back into orbit of The Valiance. Finally your prayers were answered when the ship jolted out of hyperspace and made it's approach to it's hangar.

You cracked your knuckles nervously as the ship powered down and the ramp lowered. Cardo, Ushar, Trugen, Vicrul, Ap'lek, and Kuruk all exited the ship. They had their helmets off and they looked exhausted. For reasons unknown to you, Cardo and Ushar were covered in mud. Finally, Kylo exited the ship and he looked pissed.

Kylo locked eyes with you and just shook his head and turned away from you leaving you in the hangar. _What the hell happened?_

You knew he needed time to cool off, so you just let him be and turned to the Knights.

"Well?" You asked.

"We got the plans back... but there was interference." Ap'lek said.

"What kind of interference? Resistance?" You asked.

"We don't think so. Possibly a crime syndicate. We are unsure." Kuruk said.

"So what happened?" You asked.

The knights looked back and forth between each other before someone decided to step forward and explain things. They had made it to the rendezvous point on time and were in contact with the plain clothed officer the whole time. The officer made contact with the traitor and exchanged the files for credits.

What was supposed to happen was that the officer was supposed to return to a meeting point to be escorted back to The Valiance, however that didn't happen. Instead the officer was intercepted, and because he wasn't armed, he was killed and the files taken from him.

It didn't take long for Kylo and the Knights to figure things out. The traitor was swiftly terminated and they went on a foot chase after the assailants who at that point had the files. They caught the assailants and tried to question them, but they had suicide tablets installed in their teeth.

The Knights were able to search their belongings and found that one of them had a patch with an odd looking symbol on it. It was a circle with three lines through it. It wasn't uncommon for gangs or syndicates to have such symbols so show their identities or allegiances.

**_Artwork by_ ** **_[sou-ther1 ](https://www.wattpad.com/user/sou-ther1) _ **

Today's events told you a few things.

1\. Somehow information was either leaked to an outside source and an enemy knew the details of your plans _or_ the traitor got double crossed.

2\. The weapons were now known about and wanted.

And lastly...

3\. These new enemies were well trained, well funded, and cunning. It was _highly_ unusual for an ordinary gang or syndicate to have access to things such as suicide tablets. It was even more unusual for them to evade The Knights of Ren for as long as they did.

"You all get cleaned up and rest, you deserve it." You told the Knights before leaving to go tend to Kylo.

When you got back to your quarters, a cloud of smoke hit your face when you opened the door. Upon entering the space your eyes went wide when you saw that your brand new dining table was scorched, cut into a dozen pieces, and partially on fire.

You took a deep breath in and swallowed any upset feelings you had at that moment. You'd worry about the table later.

Kylo was standing, facing the now ruined table, his shoulders heaving up and down and his lightsaber still ignited. He turned to you the moment he heard your heels on the floor.

"Don't." He said, cautioning you, but you weren't planning on saying or doing anything. You crossed your arms over your chest and just looked at him, your eyebrows knitted up with concern. He let out a sigh and hung his head before disengaging his saber.

"I'm... I'm sorry." He said, finding the words he rarely ever said flowing from his lips easily when it came to you.

"It's just a table." You said calmly.

"You're not mad?" He said a bit confused. He thought for sure you'd be pissed off about the table. It had been one of your favorite pieces in the space.

"I'm upset.... that some new unknown enemy was leaked confidential information... but the table.... no." You said, slowly making your way towards him.

"We must have a spy among us." Kylo said.

" _Or..._ the traitor got double crossed. We do need to explore all possibilities." You said reaching out to him and putting your arms around his waist. At the moment of your touch, his breathing began to slow and he began to calm down.

"I already put orders out to start an internal investigation." Kylo said.

"Good... I'm glad." You said, resting your head on his chest, calming him further.

"Are you really not upset about the table?"

"Tables can be replaced. Are you ok? Did you get hurt at all?" You said, looking up at him, resting your chin on his chest to do so.

"I scraped my knee... it's fine."

"Come on... let's get you cleaned up. You smell like swamp." You said with a chuckle before pulling him towards the bedroom.

"The table is still on fire..."

"Ehh.. it'll burn out." You said before hitting a button on the wall that called for the janitorial droids to come. They would take care of it.  
  
  


***  
  
  


The 'fresher was filled with steam and under the cascade of hot water you and Kylo stood, arms wrapped around each other in a steadying embrace. The two of you weren't saying anything, just enjoying each other's company. Kylo's hand was stroking up and down your back, causing goosebumps to raise on your skin.

"Feeling better?" You softly asked.

"Yeah." He replied with his forehead pressed to the crook of your neck. After an outburst of anger, Kylo usually needed a bit to calm down and be grounded. His outbursts never scared you or frightened you away, although he was convinced that one day you would get scared of him. _That_ would never happen. You had already endured much in life, it would take a _lot_ more than his little temper tantrums to scare you.

"Hmm... I'm glad." You said to him before kissing the center of his chest. He pulled away from you slightly and brought both his hands up to the side of your face, his thumbs caressing your cheeks. He looked at you for a few moments, his eyes going between your eyes and your lips. After a moment he leaned forward and softly kissed you, his soft lips plush against yours.

"I would be nothing without you." He said.

"No! You're the strongest person I know!" You retorted.

"You make me whole." He said, leaning down and kissing you again. You really didn't know how to respond to that, but you just smiled into the kiss. Your thoughts wild. He filled you with such happiness and made you feel secure and... _loved._

 _"Ahh..._ so you do?" He asked.

"What?" You asked, feeling a warmth spread over you.

"You love me?" He quietly asked. Your heart began beat out of your chest, and you felt a nagging in your core. Your heart, mind, and body were all answering at once.

"Yes." You breathlessly replied.

"Say it." He said, bringing his face down to your neck and nibbling at the soft skin.

"I love you." He brought his mouth up to yours and took your breath away with an impossibly passionate kiss.

"Good... because I love you too." He brought his arms around your waist and pulled you tightly to him, lifting you partially up off your feet so that only your tiptoes were on the tile of the shower floor.

You felt your shoulder blades hit the wall of the shower as he pressed your body up against the wall. His mouth found yours again and once again you were being kissed dizzy. You were grateful that he was holding you up, since all blood flow to your legs had ceased and you were weak in the knees.

He began to kiss your body and up and down as if it was the first time he was ever seeing it. Your fingernails dug into his shoulders and you lifted one leg up and hooked it around his waist. His hands were all over you with intense yearning and need. You had this affect on him that unleashed a passionate primal side of him.

His lips found your nipples and you tossed your head back, moaning his name into the steamy air of the 'fresher. For the second time that day, he had you wet and intensely longing for him. His hand dipped low and his middle finger easily slipped between your folds and into your hole.

"Oh stars!" You cried out. He tried to put you down on your own two feet, but your knees gave out. Catching you, he lifted you up by under your thighs, locking your legs firmly around his waist.

Without his mouth leaving yours, he fumbled with the shower controls, turning off the water. He held you tightly to him as he carried you to the bedroom, climbing on the bed and putting you down. You shivered as the cold air hit your skin.

This morning he had fucked you.... right now he was going to make love to you. He grabbed your wrists and held your arms up above your head while he kissed you all over. Worshiping every inch of you. You had your eyes closed but a wide smile on your face.

You spread your legs, his hips settling in between and his length finding its home between your folds. He rhythmically stroked himself between your folds, slicking himself with your arousal. Gently, and slowly, he pushed his way into you. He moved fluidly, his movements more thoughtful and meaningful.

There was barely any space between you two, your bodies were flush together, united as one. You felt light, bubbly, safe, and secure.

" _I love you_." He whispered over and over again to you.

"And I love you." You would reply, your head tossed back, your nerves aflame with passion. For a long while, Kylo kept a slow and fluid pace. The goal wasn't to cum at this very moment, it was just to be together, to be one. Still, eventually you felt the force twirling at your clit while his mouth and hands cupped and massaged at your breasts. You raked your fingers though his hair and up and down his back.

Kylo let his guard down, he allowed himself to be more vocal. Moans and whimpers fell form _his_ lips just as they fell from yours. An orgasm crept up on you and washed over you. You sang out his name and your legs shook violently.

"Ohhh... fuck!!!" He groaned into your ear. You felt him twitch inside of you and you felt yourself being filled up for the second time today. He held you tightly, his head resting between your breasts.

"I love you." He said after a few moments of comfortable blissed out silence.

"I love you." You sighed, fully content now with just going to sleep. Using the Force, Kylo brought a towel to you and began to dry you off so you wouldn't be so cold. He then shoved it under your hips before he removed himself. He kissed your stomach and knees as he broke away from you. You shivered without his body heat.

If only you could just spend the rest of you life within those four walls with _only_ him.

**********

**A/N**

**Sometimes I just like to leave a note at the end to say hi... so hi!**

**xoxo,**

**Nia**


	17. Naboo

The tour of Naboo was going to take two weeks. Events included inspecting troops and bases, talking with local leaders, participating in cultural events, touring landmarks and museums, several formal dinners, a concert, and several speeches to boost moral and loyalty on the planet, as well as at least two parades. It was the busiest tour yet.

Kylo woke you up by wafting a plate of pancakes under your nose. Since moving into _The Valiance,_ Kylo was the one who really took to the kitchenette. He was quite the impressive cook! 

The first meal he ever made you was roast Porg with a berry chutney sauce and creamed potatoes. Him cooking wasn't a regular occurrence, it usually only happened when he was in a _very_ good mood. This morning he seemed to be in the best of moods.

The previous week went by uneventfully. Kylo, the Knights, and several intelligence officers investigated the events surrounding the traitor and the weapons plans and it was determined that there had been no breech of security. It would appear that the traitor was simply double crossed. It was still unknown, however, who the new enemy exactly was.

"Good morning." You said, stretching your arms and sitting up, eager to eat those pancakes.

"Good morning." He said, leaning down to kiss you. 

"This is such a lovely surprise." You said, taking the plate from him to dig in.

"It'll be two weeks before I get to cook for us, so I figured I would take advantage of out last morning here on _The Valiance._ " 

"What time do we depart again?" You asked as you took a bite of food.

"In about three hours. There is expected to be a crowd gathered. We'll land the command shuttle right in the capital center outside the royal palace. The Queen and local senators are to greet us."

"How old is this Queen?" You asked, you had been put up to date on Naboo's politics. They would elect their monarchs who were often children since it was the people of Naboo's belief that children could not be corrupted.

"Fifteen this time."

"Sheesh."

"I know."

"How long do we have to stay at the Palace?" You asked between bites of food.

"Five days. Then the weekend to ourselves in the country, then back to the main city for the following week." 

"I'm already exhausted." You sighed. It really was going to be a busy two weeks, there was an event just about every day that you needed to attend. Kylo got up and started to get ready to leave. The far side of your bedroom had luggage all out and most of your items packed. You finished eating and got out of bed to head to bring your plate out to the kitchenette and then get ready yourself.

***

You could see out the Command Shuttle's window that an enormous crowd had gathered in the planet's capital of Theed. Even with the engines still powered up you could hear loud music and cheers from the crowd outside. 

The history of The First Order's relationship with Naboo was a complicated one. Sometimes the planet would be teetering towards open rebellion, other times the planet was in willful submission. Recent intelligence reports showed that right now the planet was in a neutral state, unsure of what to make of their new Supreme Leader and Mistress.

This tour was going to be _critical_ when it came to Nabooian relations with The First Order. 

As the command shuttle's ramp lowered, a burst of warm air hit your face as well as the intenseness of the loud music and cheering. Your eyes adjusted to the bright sunshine of the planet. There was to be a short walk from the ship up the main steps of the palace where you were to greet the Queen and Senator Noaala. 

There were stormtroopers who had arrived earlier to ensure security. The troopers lined the crowd to ensure none of the public breeched the security barrier. The Knights exited the ship first to also exude security, then... it was you, Kylo, and Hux. 

Kylo hated formalities, pomp and circumstance, and fuss. All he really wanted to do was inspect the military bases and review weapons. If he had had his way, there would be no meeting the queen and local leaders, no dinners, no parades; but _you_ insisted that it was good for boosting moral and ensuring loyalty. 

_I love you_. You thought to Kylo to reassure him once you linked arms with him to walk up the palace steps. He briefly looked down at you and winked and you thought you caught a slight smirk tug at the corner of his mouth. He was already in "public mode" a mentality he went into keeping his face stern and emotionless. 

Hux led the way since he was already acquainted with Senator Noaala, you saw him shake the Senator's hand and then formally greet the queen. By the time you and Kylo were at the top of the stairs, it was time for your introductions.

"Allow me to introduce Supreme Leader and Master if the Knights Of Ren... Kylo Ren... and Her Grace Y/n Palpatine." Hux said formally introducing you both. Respectfully Kylo shook the Senator's hand and nodded his head at the Queen. You also shook the senator's hand and greeted the queen. 

It was hard to focus and think about what to do next since the crowd was so loud. Hux leaned down to you and informed your that there was to be a brief photo op. You stood as media took your pictures.

This was going to be an exhausting two weeks.

***

Your rooms in the palace were ornate and formal. You snooped though furniture drawers and behind closed doors while Kylo laid on the bed like a starfish staring up at the ceiling. 

Today had been a lot.

There was the big welcoming parting when you arrived. 

The photo op.

Chatting with the Queen and Senator Noaala.

Touring the whole damn palace.

A lunch.

More walking. 

And more chatting. 

The entire time you were followed around by photographers and journalists documenting your every move and asking questions. 

When you and Kylo were finally shown to your rooms for the night you literally kicked off your shoes and changed into more comfortable clothes. Kylo just flopped on the bed with his boots, cloak, and gloves still on, too exhausted to even bother to change himself. You leaned against the doorframe of the room just staring at him.

"I'm a powerful dark force user... not a socialite... you're lucky I love you." Kylo grumbled.

"Oh it wasn't _that_ bad." You said, walking up to him and starting to unlace his boots. 

"Eggs... Senator Noaala likes to decorate eggs... If I have to hear about those damn eggs again... Who the fuck even likes to decorate eggs!?"

"You won't... not until Friday at least. The rest of the week is military inspections for you."

"Thank Maker! Guns... blasters... lasers... ships... that's what I like!" He exclaimed as you pulled off his boots. With his boots off you climbed onto the bed and onto him, straddling him. He complained more about things and you just patiently listened all well slowly undressing him to make him more comfortable. 

"Any ways... what are you up to tomorrow, what's on your schedule?" He said, running his hands up and down your legs.

"Visiting a local museum with the queen." You said.

"Good luck with that." He chuckled a she brought his hands up to your breasts. He took one in each and went to squeeze them, but you flinched back.

"Ouch!" You said, pulling his hands off you, you saw a look of concern wash over his face.

"I didn't even squeeze that hard."

"The bodice of my dress was tight today, so they're just tender. It happens." You sighed, bringing his hands back up to your chest and cautioning him to just be gentle. 

"Why wear something that hurts you?"

"It's called _fashion_." You chuckled. You looked down at him and saw that he had _that_ look on his face. The look he only had for you. A look of total adoration and love. His eyes would grow dark and wide and his lips would be slightly parted. You leaned forward and kissed his. You would have deepened the kiss had there not been a loud knock on the door.

"WHAT!?" Both you and Kylo yelled at the interruption.

"Room service!" You heard two _specific_ voices call out pretending to be women.

" _These_ two ass hats." Kylo said, gently nudging you off of him so he could answer the door. You got up too and followed Kylo to the main door. When he swung open the door, it was no other than Ushar and Cardo on the other side. 

As it turned out, they were in fact delivering your dinners for the evening. Ushar and Cardo had their helmets off and were giving you their signature goofy smiles. 

"What did they send you guys? They only sent us sandwiches." Ushar complained. Kylo rolled his eyes and lifted the lid to your meals, your stomach growled at the sight of steak, salad, and creamed potatoes.

"Those bastards..." Cardo said.

"Don't you two have the night off? Go eat out somewhere." You said. 

"Can we?" Ushar said, looking to Kylo.

"Yeah... just don't start any fights. You all can go, I'm sure we're fine here in the palace." Kylo said eyeing his steak. 

"Sweet... see you in the morning!" Cardo said as both Ushar and Cardo went to leave.

"NO FIGHTING!" Kylo hollered at them one more time, but they were already running down the hallway.

***

The following day you spent with Queen Magda. She was a girl of only fifteen and surrounding her were her dutiful handmaids. You were struggling to chat with her, she was highly intelligent and up to date on politics and policies, but you really didn't want to spend the _whole_ day talking about that. The goal of the day was to just improve relations and get to know the citizens of Naboo better. 

Eventually, you and Magda discovered that you had a shared interest in holodramas. You allowed a girlishness to come out of you as the two of you chatted about all the tropey holodramas you enjoyed. 

Much like yesterday, photographers and journalists followed you around to capture everything that went on. At breakfast you saw a few of the initial headlines from your arrival. For the most part they were positive. 

You toured the Naboo Heritage Museum with Magda. You found the history to be very interesting. Eventually you got to a whole part of the museum dedicated to your Grandfather... The Emperor. 

For some reason you didn't really care for learning about him too much. As you stared into the eyes of his portrait, you just felt very unsettled, and a tad nauseous. You were glad when it was time to move on from that part of the museum. Eventually you were taken to an exhibit detailing the Naboo war and the reign of Padme Amidala.

"She was the Supreme Leader's grandmother was she not?" Magda asked.

"She was." You replied as you stood in front of her elegant portrait. 

"She was quite beautiful."

"She most certainly was." You agreed.

"She is hailed as one of our greatest queens to ever reign. Do you aspire to be like her?"

"Gosh... I would hope so." You replied.

***

The neon lights and loud bass coming from the nightclub rocked you to your core. You tried to peek over Vicrul's shoulders as you pushed your way through the crowded space. You couldn't believe that you were here.

Kylo had a general's dinner to attend to and your presence wasn't needed. Of course 3 Knights were assigned to protect you in Kylo absence, so you decided to have a little bit of fun. The Knights were all crammed into your room, lounging here and there, all talking about the night club they had found when Kylo gave them the night off. After you had said you had never been to a nightclub before, the three of them got an evil idea in their heads. 

So here you were, in a makeshift disguise, pushing through a sea of common people, trying to make your way to the center of the nightclub.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DRINK!?" Vicrul yelled to you. The music was insanely loud and you had to yell back and forth to each other. 

"SURPRISE ME!" You said. You turned around to look up at Trudgen and Kuruk. 

"I see a booth over here!" Kuruk shouted, pointing towards an empty booth. The three of you made your way over and you slid into the center and Trudgen and Kuruk both slipped in, one on either side of you. 

Your eyes were wide as you watched the sea of people sway and dance to the music. They all looked elated and filled with happiness. You saw couples embracing each other, and groups of girlfriends loudly singing. It was thrilling. 

Appearing out of nowhere, Vicrul returned in one hand he was balancing four mugs of some sort of liquid, and in the other he had a tray of food.

"This isn't one of your micro brew beer shits is it!?" Trudgen asked.

"It is! It's a good one, I promise!"

"That's what you said last time!" Kuruk said. You took the mug and brought it up to your lips and took a sip. It tasted sour and left a bitter taste in your mouth, but it wasn't entirely intolerable. 

"Once again, you brought us piss water!" Trudgen said after taking a gulp.

"You have no taste!" Vicrul shouted. The three guys then started to argue with each other, you were used to it at this point, so you just ignored them and reached for the plate of melty cheese, chips, and meat. Nachos they were called? 

Eventually their argument died down and they were telling you some sort of story. You tossed your head back in laughter as Vicrul reenacted someone they had to kill dying. 

"Should I go for it!?" You heard Kuruk say.

"Go for what?" You asked him, you then followed his line of sight towards what he was staring at... or... whom he was staring at for that matter. Across the nightclub was a pretty Twi'lek. 

"We are here with Mistress!" Vicrul said, slapping Kuruk.

"I think they're twins!" Kuruk argued back to Vicrul, this little observation got Vicrul's attention.

"Sisters maybe?" You added. Both Kuruk and Vicrul looked at you.

"Go! Remember you have to bring me back in like an hour!" You said. Both men eagerly got up and rushed across the club.

"How's Nilly!?" You turned to Trudgen and asked.

"She's great!" He gushed. For a while Trudgen talked to you about Nilly, his girlfriend. You thought it was so cute, he gushed about her like she was the greatest thing in the galaxy.

"When do you see her again?" You asked.

"She's going to meet me here in a few days, and then again on our next planet stop."

"She should come visit on The Valiance some time!"

"Ehh... unlikely."

"Why not!?"

"She works for The Crimson Dawn... she can't pass a background check!" He laughed. 

"Oh I'm sure I can pull some strings!"

"That would be the dream! Hey, do you want another beer?" Trudgen asked you.

"Sure!" You said, handing him your empty glass.

"Ok! Stay here, _don't_ leave. And here... I'll be right back!" He said, handing you a small knife he had concealed on his person. He was up in no time and disappeared to head to the bar. You could see Vicrul and Kuruk on the dance floor with the two Twi'leks. You were smiling and laughing watching them dance and enjoy themselves. 

Mindlessly you nibbled at the nachos all while just enjoying the space. 

"Hey... you need a friend?" You heard a voice to your left say. You turned to see a man leaning down to you.

"My friend is coming right back!" You say, pointing towards the bar. 

"Oh... come on, one quick dance on the dance floor." He said.

"No thank you! I'm good!" You said with a smile.

"Hey... what's your name?" You heard another voice to your right say. You were now cornered by two strangers. Under the table where you sat, you gripped at the knife Trudgen gave you. 

"Oh come on _Puppet..._ don't be so up tight!" One said.

" _What_ did you call me?" You said, utterly shocked and in disbelief turning towards him. He _knew_ was he was calling you. You could tell by the look on his face. You watched as he rolled up his sleeves and you couldn't help but notice a distinct tattoo. A circle with three lines though it. You had enough of this, you went to get up and slide out of the booth, but both men slid in. 

"HEY!" you looked up and saw Vicrul pushing though the crowd, closely followed by Kuruk. The two men that had cornered you raised their hands.

"No disrespect!" One of the men said.

"Well scram!" Kuruk said. 

"Or what?" The other man said. The second slid close to you. You just _knew_ they were going to try something. 

"We won't hesitate to fuck you up." Vicrul said. 

"Get away from her!" Kuruk said. Everything happened all at once. The man that scooted closer to you grabbed you and began to pull you from the booth, the other revealed a concealed blaster and began firing shots at Vicrul and Kuruk. Vicrul and Kuruk skillfully dodged the blasts. Vicrul disarmed the blaster wielding man, and you... you brandished the knife Trudgen gave you and stabbed the other man who had his hands on you in the throat. 

As quickly as it started, it all ended. The club was suddenly very quiet as onlookers stared. You were very grateful for your disguise, which appeared to still be working. You heard the marching of trooper boots and to your left Vicrul and Kuruk were keeping the now surviving attacker restrained. 

You had just killed a man.

Trudgen then reappeared holding another round of four drinks. From the other side of the nightclub, he hadn't heard any of the commotion. Vicrul and Kuruk looked at Trudgen and they didn't need to say anything.

"Come on." Trudgen said to you. Trudgen had a protective hand on your elbow as he guided you through the crowd of people. Eventually you made your way out the back door of the club and into an alley. 

"What about Vicrul and Kuruk?" You asked.

"When the troopers arrive, they'll have that guy arrested and Kylo will decide what to do with him."

"The man... the one I... the one I stabbed... he had a tattoo that matched that patch from the gang that intercepted the traitor."

"Woah... _you_ stabbed him?" 

"Yeah..." You said. Trudgen looked down at you sympathetically.

"Alright, I'll take care of it. Let's get you back." He said, putting a protective and kind arm around your shoulder and guiding you back towards the palace.

***

You sat sitting up in the middle of the bed. You had since been back in your rooms at the palace for several hours. Outside the bedroom door you could hear raised voices. Specifically you could hear Ap'lek ripping Kuruk a new one. 

"You fucking dumb ass! Do you realize what could have happened!?" You heard Ap'lek say. You pulled your knees up to your chest and hugged them. You felt guilty. Sure it had been their idea to take you, but it was a fleeting idea, they didn't actually intend to follow through with it until you _ordered_ them to. 

You flinched when you heard the main door to the rooms slam open. You knew _exactly_ who was just getting home. 

"OUT! I'll deal with you later." You heard Kylo say. You heard Kuruk and Ap'lek scurry out of the room and shut the door. Outside the bedroom door you could hear Kylo pacing back and forth and heavily breathing. You immediately felt yourself fill with dread. 

He was going to be mad at you. 

You couldn't tell if it was from the beer and nachos Vicrul got or your nerves, but your stomach was a mess. You held your knees tighter to you as the door to the bedroom slowly opened and Kylo appeared on the other side. He had a look of genuine concern on his face.

"I'm sorry." You quietly said. You heard him sigh and walk across the room, he sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled you to him.

"That was really stupid and foolish of you." He said.

"I know... I know... I see that now. Please don't be angry with Vicrul, Kuruk, and Trudgen, I ordered them to take me."

"They'll be disciplined later. Probably just some hard physical work. Are you ok?" He asked, kissing the top of your head. You pulled away from him and gave him a look of disbelief. 

_He wasn't angry with you?_

"Why would I be angry with you?" He answered your thoughts. His words kind and dripping in sincerity and love. 

"The last time... the last time... with the stormtroopers on the Supremacy... Snoke... he said it was my fault." You felt yourself spiraling, between what had happened tonight and the memory of what had happened before... you were now completely overwhelmed. 

Tears were stinging your eyes, you found that it was hard to breathe, and you were going to be sick. You pushed Kylo off of you and ran to the 'fresher, making it just in time to vomit into the toilet.

You wreched several times, the stupid beer tasting worse the second time around. As you tried to recover, you felt Kylo's hands on your back. He reached forward and flushed the toilet and smoothed your hair away from your face. 

"Are you ok?" He asked again.

"I guess." You said into the toilet bowl. Kylo helped you up, he blotted your face and neck with a cold wet towels and urged you to brush your teeth. Brining you back to bed, he held you tightly to him again.

"People in the nightclub were interviewed, they didn't know who you were, so your disguise worked. Do you think _they_ knew who you were?" Kylo asked.

"I'm not sure. One called me Puppet... and it was like he _knew._ "

"Knew what?"

"Snoke used to call me that."

"What else did you notice about them?" Kylo asked, a quizzical look on his face. 

"One had a tattoo that matched that patch from your run in with that mystery gang." You said.

"Alright... I'll have the surviving one questioned." Kylo said, pulling your legs over his so you were securely on his lap. You didn't realize it before, but you were shaking like a leaf. He held you tightly, the pressure of his arms around you calming you further.

"I stabbed that one guy." You said.

"You killed him... and I'm so proud of you." He said, bringing his lips to yours. He kissed you softly and carefully. You still couldn't believe he wasn't angry with you.

"I could never be angry with you. It wasn't your fault." He answered your thoughts again. 

**_*******_ **

**A/N**

**Let's all laugh at the fact that I constantly announce that I am going to write slower and take my time and then BOOM I end up having four hours to myself and churn out yet another chapter!!!!!**

**Seriously tho, I am trying to make these chapters BETTER. Idk, this one I both loath and love and I feel like it's too wordy or jumpy. IDK!!!! I'm my own worst critic.**

**I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.**

**xoxo,**

**Nia 💋**


	18. People's Princess

**_Kylo's POV_ **

She threw up three more times and spiraled into a panic attack. She was processing both the fact that she actually killed someone as well as the memories of her assault on The Supremacy. The Knights didn't mean any harm, but they should have known better.

Sometimes they could be stupid.

He held her tightly and played with her hair. She really needed to sleep, so although he didn't really want to, he lulled her into a peaceful sleep with The Force. After that, he left Ap'lek to guard the room while he went down to the Knight's room to find out more about what happened from Vicrul, Trudgen, and Kuruk.

"Master." The three knights said in unison. They knew they fucked up.

"You have two uninterrupted minutes to explain what happened." Kylo sternly said. He got the story from them. Everything seemed to be fine at first. There had been no danger, and they had barely started drinking yet. It was like the two gang members were just waiting for them.

No one knew it was her in the club... no one except the two men. Which meant those two men knew all about the movements of The Knights, her, and Kylo. Kylo assigned the three knights to run ten miles the following day as their punishment before leaving to question the surviving attacker.

Like the others, this one also had a suicide tablet installed in his mouth. Fortunately, it was able to be disengaged before he could try and use it. Kylo could now have his way with him.

Kylo took his time with the attacker. It would have been easy to just rip what he wanted from his mind using the force. No. Kylo wanted to make him pay.

You see, Kylo had been leisurely walking back to his room, hopeful to crawl into bed with Y/N and have her lull him to sleep with her playing with his hair while he used her breasts as a pillow. He was half way to the room when two officers ran up to inform him of an attempted attack.

Although he was assured over and over again that she was unharmed and back in their room, Kylo lost it. He thought of every possible bad situation and outcome that could have happened. He was furious... and dare he admit it.... afraid. He went first to the nightclub where things were being cleaned up. He looked over the dead body of the other gang member. Trying to make out if he recognized the man.

He then needed to walk for a long while. If he went back to the palace to face Vicrul, Kuruk, and Trudgen he was certain he would kill them on the spot. Kylo sent Ap'lek to deal with Trudgen and then sent Cardo and Ushar to find Vicrul and Kuruk.

Kylo then walked the city streets of Theed, huffing and puffing, trying to keep control of his emotions. He had been doing so well recently. With Y/n's help he had fewer outbursts. She always told him to go for a walk or exercise when he was extra heated. Once Kylo felt he was calm enough to the point that he _wasn't_ going to kill three of his knights, he went back to the Palace.

Kylo now circled the surviving gang member like a beast stalks it's prey. The man was bloodied, bruised, and only partially broken at this point. Still he wouldn't speak.

The man had been taken deep into a First Order prison on Naboo. The cell he was thrown into was damp, smelled of mold and mildew, and rodents boldly darted around.

Kylo took a few steps back before hurling all his night into a kick, no doubt shattering the prisoner's ribs. The man coughed and spat blood, no longer able to scream out in pain after what Kylo did to him. His eyes were swollen shut, his fingers mangled, and one ankle was bent in an unnatural angle.

Kylo released all his rage on the man, using only his brute strength to destroy the man physically. The cell now smelled of piss and blood since the man had soiled himself.

Kylo squatted down, looking the pathetic man in the eye.

"Who do you work for?" Kylo asked one last time. With what little strength the man had left, he spat on Kylo's boots.

Kylo just sighed and rolled his eyes. The man's life was now fading. Now doubt from the beating Kylo inflicted upon him. Reaching out, Kylo ripped what he wanted from the man's mind.

With that a stomach churning gurgle came from the man and he expired.

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

**_***_ **

It was now public knowledge that 3 of the Knights of Ren were involved in a fight that ended in a fatality at a nightclub. To cover things up further it was decided to reveal that the two men involved were part of an assassination attempt and that the "unknown woman" who was seen with The Knights would be Danka. 

You and Danka had a few similarities and it was easy to pull off since your disguise kept you well hidden the night before. Danka was totally cool with taking the blame. Surprisingly... she had privately been with Hux the night before, so the story was easy to make up.

You threw up two more times after waking up the following morning. Kylo held your hair back and didn't grimace each time your wretched into the toilet.

The beer, nachos, and your nerves were not being kind to you.

After drinking some ginger tea and eating a full breakfast, you felt better. You needed to feel better. You had a military parade to attend that morning.

You dressed in a sharp tailor fitted pant and blazer set that was reminiscent of a First Order Unifrom... but it fit you much better and you looked like a badass in it. Today was a big "Trooping of the Color" parade in which Kylo, Hux and other leading First Order members were to view over the marching formations of several battalions stationed on Naboo. There was also to be a fly over of several fleets of TIE fighters.

Despite feeling like shit emotionally and physically, you were excited.

  
Once you got your day started and you got moving you started to feel better. The busyness of the day was going to keep you distracted. You needed to be distracted for if you weren't, the visual of the knife sticking out of the man's neck, blood gushing around the blade, came back to your mind and it made your stomach churn.

You shook your head of the visual and exited the bedroom. Kylo had to run an errand so Ap'lek was standing guard by the door until Kylo came back.

"You good, Love?" Ap'lek asked you as you sat down to put your shoes on. The other Knights only ever called you Ma'am, Mistress, or your name. Ap'lek, having the privilege of seniority, got to call you "Love". He didn't mean any disrespect by it, in fact it was quite the opposite. With his accent, it felt endearing, respectful, and fatherly when he said it. Which made sense since he was old enough to be your father.

"Just still reeling from last night." You said as you buckled the straps to your heels around your ankles.

"The first one is always the hardest. I pissed, shat, and vomited on myself after my first kill and then I had the shits for weeks after. You did good though, you defended yourself."

"Thanks... I guess." You said just as Kylo came back into the room. Kylo looked you up and down, his expression on his face giving you a look of approval.

"Are you ready?" He asked walking over to you and putting a supportive arm around your waist.

"Yes. I am." You smiled. He held your hand as you exited the room, Ap'lek following behind you.

The parade would be taking place back out on the front steps of the Palace. Troops, battalions, military vehicles, ships, mobile weapons, the whole nine yards would be marching by.

You could hear that a crowd had gathered outside, eager onlookers excited to take part in the festivities. The activities, public appearances, and your working with the media was proving to bolster yours and Kylo's approval ratings by the day. The pictures of you and Queen Magda at the Heritage Museum were a huge hit. The public loved seeing their beloved queen smiling and laughing with you.

"There are reporters that want a statement about what happened last night." Hux whispered to you and Kylo as you entered the grand gallery where everyone had gathered to her ready to go outside.

"Tell them it's First Order business." Kylo sternly said.

"No... no. I'll say something." You say. Both Kylo and Hux looked down at you.

"Are you sure?" Hux asked.

"Danka and I came up with a story. How is she? Where is she this morning?" You asked.

"She's... fine... I told her just to stay in my rooms for the day... you know.... to keep the story legitimate." Hux said with an air of nervousness in his voice.

"What were you two doing last night?" Kylo asked.

" _Personal duties?"_ You chuckled.

"NO! Dinner.... and cards... what kind of person do you think I am?" Hux huffed. You just smiled and went to walk over to the waiting reporters.

"Ma'am do you have any statement about the fight at the Neon Moon Nighclub last night?" One reporter said. You had half a dozen cameras in your face and several microphones.

"Yes. It's a very unfortunate situation. Three of the Knights of Ren had personal recreation time last night as well as my personal assistant. It would appear that 2 individuals mistook my personal assistant for myself and attempted to follow through on an abduction or assassination attempt. During the struggle one of the individuals sustained fatal injuries and the other was arrested. We are grateful that the Knights of Ren acted efficiently in order to preserve the safety of my assistant as well onlookers around them." You found yourself effortlessly saying. The reporters wanted to ask more questioned but you took your leave making your way back over to Kylo's side.

"You ok?" He whispered to you. You felt yourself getting sweaty and your mouth felt like it had cotton in it. You made the statement solely to smooth things over and keep the image of everything looking positive. You _could_ have said nothing, but that would leave things open to interpretation and doubt. Right at that moment the image of the knife and the blood was flashing in your mind.

"I need the 'fresher." You said, dropping his hand and speed walking towards where the nearest 'fresher was.

You fell to your knees at the toilet and stared into the water for a moment before it came up. Throwing up this time wasn't as bad as it had been before. You were certain that those nachos and beer were finally leaving your system.

You flushed the toilet, washed your hands, and rigorously rinsed your mouth out with water in the sink.

"Get it together!" You said to yourself in the mirror. Once you were certain you looked presentable you left the bathroom. Kylo was dutifully pacing outside the door.

"Did you throw up again?" He asked.

"Yeah... but it wasn't that bad."

"What did you eat last night?"

"Vicrul got me this beer and these nachos." You said.

"Nightclub nachos usually never sits well with anyone... ever." He said with a smirk. 

***

Confetti fell from the sky. The crowd ooo-ed and ahh-ed at the fly over of various First Order aircrafts and ships. They cheered and applauded at the marching troops in their formations. It really was an exciting site to behold.

Every once in a while you'd hear someone shouting your name from the crowd. You'd look over and smile and wave, which would elicit more cheers and applause.

You glanced over at Kylo who actually looked like he was enjoying himself. He was pointing to a large cannon that was being paraded by and smirking while talking with Hux.... shocker. You linked arms with him and looked up at him. He looked down at you and gave you a genuine smile.

The crowd screamed.

It startled you at first. You thought maybe they were cheering on the AT-ST walkers that were marching by. It then dawned on you that they were cheering at you and Kylo.

 _"Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!"_ The crowd chanted. You glanced up at Kylo who was already looking at you.

 _Shall we?_ You thought to him. He smirked before hooking his finger under your chin and tilting your head. He kissed you like he normally did in private. It was quick and dignified, however. Perfect for the crowd.

They cheered and screamed like nothing else.

"Only because it's been a few hours since I last kissed you and you're always saying we have to improve our public image." He chuckled.

"Thank you." You said leaning your head to rest on his arm.

When the parade ended you were told that there was a crowed of specially selected people who wanted to personally greet you. This was also part of your "plan" to be more personable. You were escorted through the palace to the palace gardens where this specially select group of people waited.

"I don't like this." Kylo said, taking your hand pulling you to the side before going out into the gardens.

"I know... I know... you don't like people. Just smile and shake a few hands, this should only take fifteen minutes tops." You say.

"No, it's not just that. It's... I have security concerns." Kylo said.

"What ever for? All these people have been vetted and searched."

"I know... I know... Just... after last night..." He began but then started to get choked up. You stepped closer to him and put your hand on his chest. The events of the previous night had also rattled Kylo. The thought of you being in danger or harmed scared the living shit out of him. He wasn't the type to scare easily, but the thought of something happening to _you,_ it absolutely terrified him.

"Did you find out anything from questioning the other guy?" You asked. He looked you straight in the face. Now wasn't the time to tell you anything. Kylo did have information on this new enemy and it was part of the reason why he now had major security concerns.

"I did... we'll talk about it when we are in the country this weekend. Not here." He said, swallowing his nervous feelings.

"Will it make you feel better if you clung to me while we shake these people's hands?" You said flirtatiously in a smooth, seductive voice, while batting your eyelashes.

"Actually... yes it would." He said, putting his arm around your waist. The two of you walked closely to each other while you went out into the garden. There were about fifty people all lined up ready to greet you. Kylo was supposed to start at one end and you the other and you just shake hands and say hello to them, but you had the change of plans.

You made your way down he line of people, each of them kindly paying you a compliment or another. You were all smiles while Kylo just kept a straight face and politely shook people's hands. He hated this... but he loved you.

"Are you a princess!?" A little girl asked you.

"Kind of!" You replied to her.

"She is." Kylo piped up to the little girl.

"A _real_ Princess?" The little girl asked again."

"I don't know, why don't you poke me and find out!" You giggled. The little girl stepped forward and poked you in the stomach before getting bashful and jumping back into the crowd.

The day's activities were a huge success. The people adored you. It was your last big event before the weekend.

With the parade and meet and greet over, you and Kylo were able to retire back to your room. You sat in a wingback chair, elevating your swollen feet and pulling hair pins out of your hair.

"Why do you wear things that hurt you?" Kylo asked, kneeling down and massaging your feet.

" _Fashion._ " You sighed as he hit just the right spot in the arch of your foot. The two of you were in comfortable silence as he massaged your feet. You leaned your head against the back of the chair and closed your eyes, allowing yourself to drift off in to a snooze. You hadn't realized how exhausted you were.

You were probably snoozing for no longer than five minutes when you felt Kylo's fingers at the waistline of your pants.

"What are you doing?" You asked.

"Shhh... just relax." He said, unzipping your pants. He carefully and slowly removed your pants and then worked on removing your blazer and blouse from you. You were now sitting in that elegant wingback chair in only your black lace bra and panty set.

Kylo took your clothes and you watched him stand up, fold them neatly and place them on the coffee table. He then came back over to you and scooped you up bridal style and carried you to the bedroom.

"Hmmmm... I like this." You sighed before bringing your lips to his neck.

"Don't get too excited. You're only getting my hands tonight... and not in the way you think." He said, gently placing you down on the bed.

"What? Why?" You whimpered girlishly.

"Shhhh." He replied before starting to pull off his own clothes. He left you and went into the bathroom, when he returned he was in only sweatpants and had a bottle of lotion his hands. He sat down next to you and brought his hand to the back of your head.

You had butterflies in your stomach. There was something about the way he looked at you. His eyes dripping with love and lust for you. His movements were slow and precise as he caressed your face and searched your eyes. It wasn't fair that he could read your thoughts but you couldn't read his, you desperately just wanted to know what was going through his mind.

"Lay down on your stomach." He softly said. You slowly complied, getting comfortable on your stomach and arranging a pillow to support your head. You heard him get up and the pop of the bottle of lotion pop open. You couldn't exactly see what he was doing, so you were startled when he brought his hands back to your sore feet.

You sighed loudly as he began to massage your feet again, the lotion now adding a more comfortable slip to his movements. He slowly began to work his way up from your feet, to your ankles, and then to your calves. Your calves were tight and it tickled as his hands worked. You giggled and involuntary kicked your leg.

"Shhhh... let daddy take care of you." He lowly said. Your body instantly relaxed and your eyes fluttered shut. The butterflies you had in your stomach intensified as he worked his hands up your legs.

Playfully, Kylo squeezed your ass before starting to massage your lower back.

 _Stars this felt good._ You couldn't believe he was so skilled with massage. It was like his hands were magic. You knew his hands were magic when it came to _other_ things, but this was a whole new level. You couldn't help yourself, you were totally turned on and needy now.

Kylo's fingers came up to your bra line. Carefully he unclasped your bra and allowed the straps of the garment to fall. Your skin felt instant relief from the removal of the item. You then heard Kylo tsk.

"This weekend... in the country, you're not allowed to wear a bra at all." He frowned as his fingers tried to massage away the deep red marks that the elastic of your bra had left behind.

"You won't have to ask me twice." You sighed. Kylo leaned forward and kissed the center of your back, you couldn't help but softly moan.

"Hmmm... remember, don't get _too_ excited, I'm not fucking you tonight." He mused.

"No?"

"No." He commanded.

" _Why?"_ you huffed.

"Because this weekend... I'm going to make you cum so many times you're going to forget your name and how to walk." He was still leaning forward, his breath and lips near your skin. You gasped and felt goosebumps rise to your skin. You pushed yourself up on your arms and turned around.

"Do you not want me to finished your massage?" Kylo chuckled, putting his hands on your hips and pressing you down into the mattress.

"I _want_ you to fuck me now!" You demanded.

"You're so demanding." He growled, his hand darting up to your neck and pushing you down into the mattress. It was only slightly hard to breathe with his fingers around your throat. You rubbed your thighs together, desperate for any sort of sensation. You shivered as your nipples grew hard and your back arched with his hand still firmly around your throat.

Kylo climbed over you and pulled your bra from where it dangled by your arms. He then put most of his weight down on you, straddling you over your hips and keeping you pinned. You reached up to stoke your hands up and down his legs, but he devilishly smirked at you and with the flick of his wrist your hands were pinned to the mattress with The Force.

"No touching." He ordered.

"Yes... _Supreme Leader._ " You said, heavily coating your words with lust and seduction. Kylo gave you a crooked smile and shook his head as he squirted more lotion in his hands. Your pathetic attempts of trying to seduce _him_ were backfiring.

He released your left hand from it's Force hold and took it in his. He began to massage your hand, fingers, and wrist, working his way up your arms. It felt amazingly good. You closed your eyes and just decided to relax. If Kylo said he wasn't dicking you down tonight, he meant it, and it meant that he had _bigger_ and _better_ plans for you tomorrow.

With your eyes closed, Kylo took the time to just stare at you. He was giving you the massage not only to make you feel good, but because he also was genuinely enjoying it. After what had happened with the nightclub, Kylo needed some slow quiet time to worship you. He wanted to commit every freckle and birth mark of yours to memory. If it were possible, he wanted to freeze time just to have infinity with you.

Kylo finished massaging you and rolled off you, pulling your body to him to spoon you.He delicately kissed the side of your neck and you made one last pathetic attempt of seduction by wiggling your butt against his cock.

"No." he said.

"Ughhhhhh." You dramatically whined.

"Let's get ready for bed. We leave first thing in the morning." He whispered. You were now very relaxed from the massage but also sexually frustrated. Grumbling, you got up to go wash your face and brush your teeth.  
  
  


***

**_Ap'lek's POV_ **

Ap'lek was tempted to leave the Knights all together when Kylo took charge. Answer to a kid nearly 20 years younger than him? The thought initially disgusted Ap'lek.

The temptation to leave had been a strong one, a _very_ strong one. Ap'lek had served as a Knight the majority of his life, he could have retired in comfort. But Kylo proved himself to be different. Sure the kid was hotheaded, sometimes entitled, and _very_ moody; but he was a natural born leader, albeit a broken one.

Ap'lek saw something in Kylo that convinced him to stick around.

The kid had raw, untamed power, not to mention that Kylo was actually trained whereas Ap'lek and the other Knights were not. Sure, the other Knights could wield The Force, they did the best they could, but they had no formal Force training.

They always needed to follow someone who was trained.

Over the years, Ap'lek had grown a fondness for Kylo, and Kylo for Ap'lek. The two men shared a mutual respect for each other, eventually Kylo making Ap'lek his second. Ap'lek offered Kylo the mature guidance he had always craved for, a somewhat father - son relationship.

Ap'lek's boots squeaked against the damp stone stairs that led down into The First Order prison where that attacker had been taken.

 _Someone_ had to be on clean up duty.

Ap'lek should have assigned Vicrul or one of the others to do this, but Ap'lek had questions of his own that needed answering. Much like Kylo, Ap'lek was equally disturbed by this sudden new gang bursting onto the scene, it was the _last_ thing they needed right now.

Pushing open the cell door, the strong smell of piss, shit, and blood smacked Ap'lek in the face. In the dim lighting, the Knight saw the dead body of the attacker on the floor.

Kylo _really_ did know how to fuck someone up, that was for sure, especially when it had to do with Mistress.

Ap'lek had carried with him two lanterns, he was going to need extra lighting for what he was about to do. He sighed and knelt down by the corpse. Putting on gloves and rolling up his sleeves, he began to work.

Flipping the corpse over on to its back, Ap'lek noted that rigor mortis had started to set in. Ap'lek unbound the corpse's hands and feet and began working. He stripped the corpse of all clothes and began to photograph any and all identifying tattoos. There were many. Some were slave tattoos indicating that at one time the man had been a slave, others were personal tattoos, and a few more were gang related.

The dead man had led a very colorful life.

Ap'lek closely examined the tattoo of the circle with three lines through it, the ink still looked fresh. Whatever gang or group this was, the man was only _recently_ inducted into it.

The other gang tattoos, Ap'lek could easily identify, including a Crimson Dawn tattoo. Nilly was due to arrive tomorrow, he would have to ask her if she knew the guy.

With the tattoos all documented, Ap'lek moved on to examining the man's clothes. In the man's pockets he found credits, random nuts and bolts, and oddly enough... a poker chip... but not just any poker chip.

The poker chip was made of solid Beskar Steel and had a unique floral insignia on it, as well as a small circle with three lines. Ap'lek was well versed in the logos of various casinos throughout the galaxy, but he had never seen a poker chip like this. Most likely, the chip served as some sort of calling card, or a key to gain access somewhere.

Ap'lek had what he needed. He tossed the clothes and the body into the prison incinerator and started his trek back up to his rooms in the palace. He needed to get the smell of piss out of his nose. He could deal with other smells, but piss was always the worst.

The Nabooian night air was refreshing, for a moment, Ap'lek looked up at the sky to admire the stars. Despite being a cold blooded killer himself, Ap'lek still took time to enjoy the simple things in life.

He enjoyed nature, space, a fine glass of whisky, and the company of _one_ woman.

Ap'lek smiled when he looked down at his communicator to see a special someone was calling him.

"Hello stranger..." He answered.

"I spy with my little eye... a Knight all alone under the night sky." The smooth, velvety voice said on the other end. Ap'lek jumped and turned around to take in his surroundings. Looking up he saw a cloaked figure leaning against a chimney on a rooftop, the distinct glow of a lit cigarette glowing under the hood.

"Estrid... you sneaky bitch. Well, come down here why don't you?" Ap'lek responded. He heard the communicator click off and he watched the cloaked figure disappear. Leaning against a nearby tree, Ap'lek waited.

The silence of the night was broken by the sound of heels clicking against the cobble stoned street. Estrid appeared before Ap'lek. She dawned a _fine_ sapphire blue velvet cloak and he could see the twinkling of her diamond earrings from under her hood.

"I just cleaned up a dead body." Ap'lek warned her as she closed in on him.

"After _fifteen years_ you think _that_ will keep me away from you?" She tsked.

"Something eventually will." He smiled. She wrapped her arms around him and embraced him.

"Never..." She crooned before bringing her lips to his. She broke the kiss and wrapped his arm over her shoulders and they started their trek up to the palace together.

"So.... how's _our boy_ and the girl? The people love her, it's almost disgusting how much they love her." Estrid laughed.

"Our boy was the reason I had to clean up a dead body, and she's delightful. I like her."

"Ahh... so the nightclub thing, it _wasn't_ her assistant that was attacked, it was _her._ "

"Nothing escapes you." Ap'lek chuckled. The two of them walked in comfortable silence, eventually the palace coming into view.

"We think it's a new gang that was part of the attack last night and the interference with the traitor I told you about. What do you make of this?" Ap'lek said, slowing down their pace of walking, and pulling out the poker chip.

"Beskar steel... I haven't seen Beskar in _years._ " Estrid said, turning the chip over in her hand.

"I've never seen a chip like _that._ "

"In my experience... I've used to see calling cards like this after the Empire fell. The Imperialists that went into hiding often had odd things like this." She said handing it back to him. "My guess... whatever this gang is... they're Imperial _purists_. I'd put hard money on it." She said.

"You're so smart, this is why I keep you around." Ap'lek chuckled before putting the poker chip back into his pocket.

"Oh _please_ , you keep me around because it's cheaper than divorcing me." She laughed, wrapping her arms around his waist. Ap'lek kissed the top of her head and then started taking the lead back to the Palace.

**_End Ap'lek's POV._ **   
  


******

**A/N**

**Alrighty.... who's still enjoying reading, and how do we feel about Ap'lek and Estrid?**

**xoxo,**

**Nia** 💋

**Estrid**   
**Played by Marion Cotillard**


	19. The Country

You stroked your hand over to the other side of the bed expecting to find Kylo, but he wasn't there. The bedroom was still dark, but you could see sunlight trying to peek through the black out curtains. As you adjusted to your awake state, you could hear the soft murmurings of voices outside the bedroom door. You tried to focus on who it could be.

You recognized Kylo's deep voice, and then Ap'lek's, what baffled you was that you could hear the voice of a woman as well. You then heard the door to the rooms open and a clattering of boots.

"MOMMY!" you heard Cardo and Ushar say.

"Shut up... y/n is still sleeping." Ap'lek said.

 _Mommy?_ You wondered. You stretched and yawned and then felt a pain in your stomach, you were hungry and you were reaching that point of hunger where if you waited any longer, you'd be nauseous. You got up and got dressed in one of your few modest night gowns and covered yourself in a robe before opening the bedroom door to see what was going on on the other side.

On the other side of the door you were faced with a room full of people. It was _way_ too early for this nonsense and it was starting to put you in a bad mood. Cardo and Ushar looked at you with their usual goofy looks on their faces, you saw that they were standing near a very elegant looking older woman dressed from head to toe in sapphire blue velvet. Her dark hair was swooped back and she had the most piercing blue eyes.

"You must be Y/n! It is so good to meet you." She said, getting up and crossing the room. Her voice was smooth and she had the same accent as Ap'lek. When she greeted you she kissed you on each cheek and then curtsied.

"My name is Estrid, I am Ap'lek's wife." She said with a smile on her face.

"Oh!!!" You said, the connections finally registering in your head. You knew Ap'lek was married and you had heard Estrid's name tossed around from time to time, but you had yet to meet her, just like you had yet to meet Nilly, Trudgen's girlfriend.

"I've heard a lot about you." You responded to her.

"Oh.. Ap'lek brags when I'm not around does he?" She said with an elegant chuckle. She really was a beautiful woman.

"Always." Cardo said.

"The man never shuts up about you." Ushar added. Estrid just rolled her eyes, everyone in the room knew that Ap'lek was a notoriously private individual. He would casually talk about Estrid if the conversation warranted it, but nothing more.

You knew that Estrid and Ap'lek had been married for a very long time and had been together for longer before that. Their relationship was a unique one, they loved each other deeply, but it only worked between them if they spent chunks of time apart. You had no idea what Estrid did for work, but judging by her elegant way of walking, her smooth talking, and the clothes she wore, it was probably something exclusive and high paying.

You looked around the room to see if you could find Kylo. You could hear the faint sound of his voice. The curtains that led out to the balcony blew open slightly and you could see that the door was open and Kylo and Ap'lek were outside in deep conversation.

You went to walk forward to go out onto the balcony, but Estrid stopped you.

"Why don't we stay in here until they're done?" She suggested to you.

"I just wanted to say good morning." You said confused.

"Kylo wouldn't want you out on the balcony."

"Is this a security thing again?" You huffed.

"It is, but come, sit, I'll make you coffee." She said urging you to sit down on the couch. You sat down obediently and Estrid got to work on getting you a cup of coffee. Through the window you watched Kylo and Ap'lek talk. You watched as Ap'lek handed Kylo what looked to be a silvery metal coin. Kylo looked it over in his hand and then put it in his own pocket.

Something was up, and you hadn't been told yet. You didn't like that. You didn't like being left out of the loop. You spent a huge chunk of your life _deliberately_ left out of the loop as to who you were by Snoke, and _this_ was now starting to piss you off. You grumbled and folded your arms across your chest.

Already you had gone a full day without knowing what information Kylo got out of your attacker, and now the new thing about not going out on the balcony. It was all very weird and you didn't like it. You were trying not to let your mood be soured, so you needed a distraction.

"Cardo... Ushar... can you find me breakfast?" You said to the two brothers.

"Yep."

"Sure."

"Pancakes... waffles... eggs... what do you want?"

"A cinnamon raisin bagel?" You asked. Both guys nodded and then left the room just as Estrid reappeared with your coffee.

"Here you go, Love." She said, handing it to you and sitting down beside you. You took a few sips of coffee and sighed, happy now to have something in your stomach.

"I don't like not knowing what's going on." You confessed with a frown while looking at Kylo and Ap'lek.

"Oh, don't worry, they'll tell you soon." She said.

"Do _you_ know what's going on?" You asked.

"I do." She confessed. This _seriously_ annoyed you. How was it that someone who had only just met knew exactly what was going on, but _you_ the person it _clearly_ involved did not? You were beginning to feel your mood sour even further, but you didn't want to give Estrid a bad impression of yourself.

"Where are you from?" You decided to ask her, changing the subject entirely.

" _Everywhere_ darling, I have no roots, I call no where home, Im a galactic nomad." She said with a smile.

"So what do you do?"

"I'm in the business of gossip. I'm a professional secret keeper." She coyly said.

"I never knew there was such a thing."

"Well... you'd be surprised." She winked at you just as Kylo and Ap'lek walked back into the room. Your eyes caught Kylo's and you immediately lit up. He smiled and came over and sat down on the other side of you.

"We should get going." Ap'lek said to Estrid. Estrid immediately got up and went to Ap'lek's side.

"It was lovely to meet you. Until next time. Bye Kylo." Estrid said as she followed Ap'lek out of the room. Finally you and Kylo were alone. He put his arm around you and kissed the side of your neck.

"What was all that about?" You ask.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Estrid said I wasn't allowed to go out on the balcony... nothing?" You copped an attitude, rolling your eyes and stomping your feet.

"I'll tell you later." Kylo said, trying to kiss your neck again.

"NO... you'll tell me now. I don't like being left out of the loop. You _know_ how that bothers me now!" You said, standing up to face him and look down on him, your hands fisted, and your foot tapping your toes. He looked like he was about to answer you, but Cardo and Ushar came back in the room with a whole _box_ of bagels.

"The kitchen had like an assortment of bagels. We got the raisin ones, but we weren't sure if you might want to try another." Cardo said, putting the box of bagels down on the coffee table.

"Thank you." You told them.

"You two can leave, we have to go soon anyway." Kylo told Cardo and Ushar. They both nodded and then left the room. You knew Kylo wasn't going to tell you what was going on, so trying to practice patience, you grabbed a bagel and sat down in a chair across from him and began to eat. It was no use, your mood was probably completely soured for the rest of the day.

Kylo had gotten on your nerves once or twice before in the almost three months you've been together. The last time you were pissy, it was _you_ raising your voice at _him_ , and you actually scared _him._ He was just going to let this one go, you could be pissy all you wanted about it, but he still wasn't going to tell you, not yet.

Kylo sighed and got up to go finish getting ready to head out of the city for the weekend. He looked back at you from the bedroom door, but you still had an annoyed look on your face as you angrily ate your bagel.

You could be a feisty little shit sometimes.   
  
  


***

Kylo told you to pack light, it was only going to be two days and it was only going to be you and him. So pack light you did. You filled a small duffle bag with only the essentials and a few effortless items of clothing. All you wanted to be was comfortable. Where Kylo was exactly taking you, you did not know. What you did know was that due to his recent concerns about security, he had abruptly changed plans.

You were surprised he was still even taking you. But Kylo had had enough of the city and needed some space and peace.

You were still annoyed with him for not telling you what was going on, but you found it hard to _stay_ annoyed with him. Especially not when his hands and lips found you around every corner. You tried to push him away, but it was no use, the man overpowered you every time.

Kylo got to show off his brand new TIE Silencer. It was the aircraft you were taking to wherever you were going. The ship was tiny. You were forced to sit on Kylo's lap as he flew the ship out of the city towards wherever he was taking you.

Once Kylo cleared the city limits, he turned on autopilot and his hands quickly found their way up your skirt. You squirmed and giggled, you were still at least _trying_ to be annoyed with him, but it was no use.

"You have given me _such_ an attitude today." Kylo growled into your ear, his hot breath sending shivers down. your spine.

" _You_ have been keeping me out of the loop for things. _And_ you got me all bothered last night and made me go to sleep." You countered.

"Ahh... so you turn into a moody brat when you don't get to cum?" He said, bringing his nose to the side of your neck, causing you to shiver and flutter your eyes shut.

"Yes..." You breathlessly said.

"I think I like a little brat in you... sometimes." His hands now firmly gripping at the softness of your thighs.

"Oh?"

"Only sometimes..." He said before his lips made contact with your neck. If there was one thing Kylo liked to do the most, it was kiss your neck.

"You're getting me all bothered again." You whimpered feeling a heat and a longing creep up on you. You shifted your weight in his lap and couldn't help but notice the harness in his pants. That didn't help at all, because now all you could think about what how much you wanted his dick inside of you.

"Hmmm... you're such a little _dick monster_." He said, hearing your thoughts. You giggled when he called you that. It was true too, you were a little monster when it came to his dick. You decided to toy with him. He had gotten you all bothered and left wanting last night, so you were going to get him all bothered and left wanting now.

You flashed a series of images through your mind knowing damn well he was tuned into your mind. Memories the two of you shared. Times he fucked you in the shower or in front of the mirror in your closet. You showed him how things looked and felt from _your_ perspective. You gave him a sense of what things felt like for you, how his hands felt on your skin, how his hips moved into yours, how he tasted, what he smelled liked.

You should have tried this method the night before if you wanted to get something out of him, because right now it was working. Kylo shifted in his seat, moving to adjust himself, his dick hard and throbbing in his pants. The last image you flashed before him was of how it looked like from your perspective to suck him off. That was the last straw for him.

Moving forward, Kylo hit a bunch of controls, slowing the ship down but keeping autopilot on. He pushed the seat back and kicked away the foot controls. Aggressively putting his hands on your hips, he shoved you from him, sliding you down his legs until you were kneeling at his feet.

"I want you to do that... right now." He said.

"Do... _what_ exactly?" You batted your eyelashes.

"Suck my dick." He said, fumbling with his belt and pants zipper. You sinisterly chuckled before shifting on your knees. You brought your hands up to his and took over the task of releasing him from his pants.

His cock sprung forward, hard and pulsating. Teasing him a little more you leaned forward as if you were _just_ about to take it in your mouth, instead you just blew a stream of cold air against it.

"Fuck! Dont tease me!" He hissed. You once again chuckled, pursing your lips you kissed the tip of his dick, his head flew backwards and he moaned loudly. You knew he _loathed_ being teased, but you were still in a little bit of a bratty mood, so you were going to push the envelope to see how far it would go.

You put your elbow on his knee and rested your head against your hand, propping your head up as you _closely_ examined his cock.

"What the are you doing?" He grumbled, looking down at you to see you had one eyebrow arched and a playful smile on your face.

"Did you know you had a freckle under here?" You said.

"Seven hells... if you don't..." Before he could finish that sentence, you were dragging your tongue from the base of the underside of his shaft up to the tip. You swirled your tongue around the head of his dick, finally sucking it between your lips, circling your tongue around as if you were sucking on a lollipop.

You looked up at him the entire time you did it and you had to stop yourself from laughing. It was like he was having a seizure or something.

"You good?" You said.

"Y..Yeah... please don't stop." He begged, his voice cracking just a bit. This made you smile, usually it was _you_ who was begging, today the tables have turned. You brought your mouth down and started to do the work. Twirling your tongue, sucking your lips, and using your hands as well.

For someone who had never heard of doing this three months ago, you sure did figure it out quickly. Kylo bucked into your mouth, causing you to gag for a moment, that was the one thing you hated, when he did that. You rolled your eyes and pushed his hips down with one hand and continued to work him with your other and your mouth.

"Shit... I'm gonna..." He began, you hummed you prepared yourself. His seed bubbled forth into your mouth as he let out a low moan, his hands finding your head and petting you with approval. You pulled away and wiped the spit and a little bit of cum that dribbed out of your mouth away before swallowing. Looking up at him, you licked your swollen lips and gave him a sassy look.

"I swear by all the stars you give the best head." He sighed out while staring up still at the roof of the cockpit.

"Good... because I'm the only person for the rest of your life you'll get it from." You chuckled. He began to tuck himself away and shook his head to refocus on getting you to your destination.

"The sooner we get there, the sooner I can properly fuck you." He said, pulling you back down onto his lap and reaching forward for the ship's controls. The ship lurched and sped forward, reaching a new high speed to get you to your destination.   
  
  


***

Kylo landed his Silencer in a thicket of trees to keep its cover and the two of you walked hand in hand down to what appeared to be a tiny cottage. Kylo carried your bags and had a stern look on his face now. He constantly looked over his shoulders and was scanning the tree line and horizon.

"What's wrong?" You asked, looking up at him with concern.

"Nothing... just being careful." He said, pushing forward as you two walked towards the tiny cottage. It had been _quite_ some time since you had seen any other structures, and everything was silent, not another person for miles and miles.

"There isn't a living thing for miles around." You said.

"I know. I'm just being careful, that's all." He said as the two of you came to the Cottage gate. It was a stone structure with a thatched roof, it looked positively cozy. There was a small garden to one side, and a small sitting area to enjoy the sun shine.

Kylo dropped your bags outside the door, and still holding your hand, and led you inside. He was still all cautious, his eyes scanning everywhere and his free hand on the hilt of his lightsaber. You were no longer annoyed about the "security concerns"... you were now outright worried.

"Stay here." He said, leaving you in the center of the entryway of the cottage. You crossed your arms around yourself and watched as he searched the entire place, going into every room, pulling back curtains, opening doors.

"Kylo..." You began, but still he worked. The cottage was absolutely beautiful and peaceful. It was rustic and soft, a far cry from the architecture of The First Order.

"Kylo..." You said again, this time getting his attention.

"Ok... everything is good." He said, you stopped him in his tracks with the deep look of concern on your face.

"Will you _please_ tell me what's going on?" You pleaded. His face softened and he reached out for your hand, he led you to the plush couch in the teeny living room of the cottage and urged you to sit down.

"The gang... They're called Shadow Watch. From the man I _interrogated,_ I learned that they have a hit out on you. They want you dead. I don't know why yet, the man wasn't privy to that information. It would also appear that they are _very_ well funded, possibly by people in our ranks we thought we could trust. The suicide tablets... the knowledge of our movements... _this..."_ He said, taking out that silvery coin you had seen before. He placed it into your palm and you looked at the floral design etched into it.

"What is it?" You asked.

"It's a poker chip, made out of solid and pure Beskar Steel. It's a calling card, a key. Sometimes gangs or groups use custom poker chips or playing cards to as secret codes that mean things and grant members exclusive access to things."

"What do you think it's to?" You asked, handing it back to him.

"I have no idea. I have Ap'lek working on it."

"If this gang knows our every move... will we be safe here?" You asked.

"Yes. I changed our plans at the last minute, only Ap'lek knows where we are right now. Originally we were supposed to go to my Grandmother's old estate. The Knights are arranging a diversion to make it look like we still went there. We will be perfectly safe here." He said, putting a protective arm around your shoulder.

"Should we be excessively worried about this gang?" You asked, twisting your fingers in the fabric of your dress out of anxiety.

"No... no... am I making you anxious?" He said, pressing his forehead to yours.

"A little..." You confessed. Kylo sighed and got up and crossed the room, running his hand through his hair.

"I'm... I'm sorry... It's just..." He trailed off.

"What?"

"It's just... just... I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to you." He said, his back facing you. You got up and went to him, wrapping your arms around him and pressing your cheek into his back. He deeply sighed and reached behind him to pull you to face him.

"I've... I've never been more terrified of anything in my life." He said. You could see the genuine pain in his eyes as the two of you just stared at each other. You brought your hand up to caress his cheek.

"It will all be alright. I know it." You said, trying to reassure him. You got on your tiptoes and brought your mouth to his, kissing him softly and tenderly.

"Now... how about you show me the rest of the cottage. We are safe here, let's just be together." You said, he cracked a small smile. He took your hand and led you through the cottage.

The space was tiny, comfortable enough for just the two of you. There was a decent sized bedroom, a full 'fresher, a kitchen, and the living space. In total it was probably around 800 square feet, much smaller than anywhere you've ever stayed, but it would do just nicely. The whole space was filled with color and soft natural textures, it was the complete opposite of the harshness that could be The First Order's ships and buildings.

You found the bedroom to be lovely. There were two large picture windows that looked out into the garden. You pulled Kylo into the room and climbed up on the bed, urging him to climb up over you. You wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him. For some reason, you decided to replay the memory of when he first told you he loved you. He smiled into your lips, clearly hearing you.

He pressed down into you, knocking your legs to the side and settling between them, all the while tenderly kissing you and running his fingers through your hair. His hands slowly moved while your lips and tongues danced with each other, he brought his hands down your neck and to your breast, taking it firmly and fondling it. You knitted your eyebrows together and fought off a slight discomfort. You had no idea why your boobs hurt again, you were wearing a very loose fitting dress without a bra this time.

Oh well...

Kylo's hand snaked down your leg to your ankle where he pushed up your skirt, his massive hand eventually resting on your hip. He pulled back the elastic of your underwear and let it snap back against your skin, eliciting a squeak from you. The tiny noise that came from you made him smile into your kiss.

You brought your hand up to his face to push back his hair that was dangling in your eyes. The two of you tangled and tumbled around on the bed, making out for a while, Kylo's hands exploring your body, kneading at the fleshy soft parts. You pulled at his shirt, untucking it from his pants, and you snuck your hand underneath to explore the landscape of his physique.

Your fingers lightly ghosted over the multiple scars that littered his back and chest. You had committed them all to memory, you knew each and every one of their stories. The blaster wounds and light saber wounds from Starkiller base, the small marks from sparring with The Knights, the raised cuts from small childhood accidents. You knew them all. You loved them all.

Kylo lowly and softly moaned out your name, it causing your eyelashes to flutter and the passion within you to rage even further. Kylo sat up and pulled you up with him, he lifted your dress up and off of you, tossing it to the far side of the room.

You watched with wide eyes as he tore his shirt off, quickly tucking it up under you. He then climbed back over you, his face disappearing into your neck, his lips suckling at your delicate skin. You were on fire.

His mouth worked its way down, his tongue darting out and flicking one of your nipples. You gasped at how _intense_ it felt. His warm lips sucked and toyed with your nipples, switching from one side to the other so that neither were neglected. He left a got trail of kisses down your stomach, and as he worked his way down, he slipped your panties off of you.

He nudged your legs open with his face and gazed at your center. You could feel that you were swollen and gushing wet for him. You reached down and ran your fingers through his hair, pushing it out of his face and eyes.

He held you down by your hips and brought his lips to your bundle of nerves. Your mind went blank, all you did was feel. You arched your back and loudly moaned.

"I want you as loud as possible." Kylo said, his voice muffled with his lips still attached to you. You nodded your head.

"That's not an answer." He said

"Ye... yes daddy." You said, your voice girlish and desperate.

"Hmmmmm.... good." He said, picking up his pace with his tongue. You tossed your head back and loudly whimpered. You let your guard down, allowing the sensations to just wash over you. It was just the two of you, no one else for miles, you could be as loud and as extra as you wanted. You moaned and cried out his name, tangling your fingers in his hair, bucking your hips into his face.

"You're going to cum in my mouth when I tell you." Kylo said, breaking away just for a moment. You were a blubbering mess, nodding your head over and over again. His tongue continued to work you while he slipped two fingers into your hole. He curled his fingers up and down and up and down, hitting that sweet spot inside of you.

You felt as though you were a balloon ready to pop, the pressure was all there, it needed release. Finally, Kylo said the words you needed to hear, and it was like the flood gates open up. You cried and screamed and cursed. His fingers pressed that sweet spot within you hard, furthering your release. You heard the obscene watery slurping and squelching coming from you and his fingers.

The wave you rode was long and hard. It left your legs shaking and your vision blurry. As it calmed down, Kylo came up to you and aggressively kissed you, you could taste your own saltiness on his lips. He pulled away from you and flipped you over onto your hands and knees.

You didn't remember when or how he undressed the rest of himself, but before you knew it he was inside of you. Your nerve endings were shot. You felt him stretch you open against your body's wishes to now clamp down. He worked in and out of you, his pelvis slamming into your ass. He too was now moaning and uttering your name.

His fingers were clenched deep into the flesh of your hips as he railed you. Eventually cursing and spilling into you. A mixture of your cum and his dripped between your legs as the two of you laid there on the bed trying to catch your breath. The two of you looked at each other and broke out into a tired laughing fit.  
  
  


***

You felt a shaking sensation and then it stopped before it started again. Your eyes slowly adjusted and you blinked trying to see through the bright sunlight. The last thing you remembered was coming out into the cottage garden to drink tea at the little table in the center of the garden. You must have dozed off, you hadn't realized how exhausted you were from the week.

"You fell asleep." Kylo said, kneeling down in front of you, his hand on your knee from gently jostling you awake.

"I guess so!" You perked up.

"It's only ten in the morning, did you not sleep well?" He asked. You had slept amazingly. After getting your brains blown out with sex the night before, Kylo made the two of you dinner and you convinced him to watch a holodrama on your datapad while in bed, you dozed off while watching that come to think of it.

"No! I slept great! I just must be tired from how busy we were this week." You yawned.

"I wanted to know if you wanted to go for a walk, there's apparently some waterfalls nearby we can go see." He said, standing up and putting his hands in his pockets. _Stars_ he looked good in his leisure clothes.

"Yeah! When do you want to go?"

"After lunch."

"Perfect!" You said. You reached for your tea and frowned when you realized it had grown cold.

"I'll reheat it for you." He chuckled, taking the cup from your hand.

After having your tea, Kylo packed a light lunch in a picnic basket and the two of you went off to find these waterfalls. The countryside of Naboo was gorgeous, the weather was fine, and the sun was forever shining. It made you very happy to be amongst the flowers and the song of beautiful birds.

The walk to the waterfall was not far at all, although it zapped you of some energy, once again you were tired. You helped Kylo set up a picnic with a blanket and the basket. He had packed fruits, cheeses, crackers, a few vegetables, some iced tea, and beer.

"Do you want a beer?" He asked, initially when he took out the bottle, you wanted one, but when he opened it you could smell it and your stomach instantly soured.

"No thanks, I still have a bad memory of the beer at the nightclub." You said. Picking at a few vegetables, you munched on them before laying back on the blanket. The sun was warm on your skin, relaxing you peacefully.

"I both don't want to leave Naboo, but I also want to get back to our normal routine." You sighed.

"I know what you mean." Kylo replied.

"This... _this..._ is nice, you said, reaching out and taking his hand." Kylo looked down at you with a slight smirk on his face. This was nice. It was peaceful. It was tranquil.

Kylo closed his eyes and took a deep breath of fresh air. For the first time in his life he felt whole. His mind was his own, he didn't have people pestering him and telling him how _they_ felt he should life his life, and he was no longer a slave to ancient traditions. He was forging his own path, a path for himself, and that included you.

At times, Kylo still warred with himself in his mind. The trauma, the lies, the regret, the doubt, they all plagued him, but you kept him steady. There were days where he would close off and shut down, he knew that you were hurt when he had those days. Fortunately, those days were becoming fewer and fewer.

You never once tried to change him or beg him to be different. That was all he ever wanted out of life. His whole life no one accepted him for who he was. Not his parents, not his uncle, not even Snoke.

But you did.

Looking down at you, Kylo rubbed his thumb against the back of your hand, and his heart began to hurt. There were _people_ out there who wished you harm. People who wanted to take you away from him. He wasn't going to allow that to happen. If he had to burn down the whole galaxy to get to those who wished you harm, he would.

Things were going _so good._ Why? You'd think that the citizens of the galaxy would see all the good that _you_ were doing. You had plans and goals, you _genuinely_ wanted to make the Galaxy a better place. You had plans regarding health care, education, employment, and so much more. Why couldn't _everyone_ just be happy with that?

He shook the thought from his mind and reached out with The Force to ensure that the two of you were alone. He felt no other life forms besides various animals, he could relax. Laying down beside you, he looked over to you to see that you had your eyes closed and your breathing was even. Were you napping again?

A nap did sound like a good idea at the moment. Looking up at the sky, Kylo tried to close his eyes to see if he too could drift off into a peaceful snooze.

***

You felt a tickling sensation on your stomach, when you opened your eyes you saw a little blue butterfly was marching around on you, it made you smile. As you shifted, the butterfly took flight and fluttered over the tall grass that surrounded you. You sat up and looked down at Kylo who was now passed out asleep. You rolled over to the side and gently pushed his hair out of his face.

You rested your head on your hand and just stared at him. You followed the lines of his bone structure, the muscular outlines of his chest, and you memorized his breathing pattern. How was it possible to be in such awe of a single human being?

You leaned over and kissed him tenderly, allowing your lips to slowly wake him up.

"How long was I out?" He yawned, looking up into your eyes.

"I don't know, I just woke up too!" You giggled, kicking one leg over him and straddling him. You reached down and picked up a strawberry and popped it in your mouth, the juices of it staining your lips and dribbling down your chin.

Kylo just had his hands on your hips and his eyes wide as he watched you eat that strawberry. So simple the action was, yet to him it was the most alluring and erotic thing he could be watching at that very moment. You smiled when you felt a hardness grow against your thigh.

"You are _insatiable._ " You mused, reaching down and taking another strawberry.

"I want one." He lowly said. You took a bite of the strawberry you had and then brought the other half to his mouth, feeding him the rest of the berry. In the process of leaning forward, you rocked your hips, rubbing your center over the hard bulge in his pants. He took a sharp inhale as he chewed on the berry.

You leaned all the way forward and brought your sticky lips to his neck while tugging at his shirt. A few more times, you rocked your hips. Kylo's fingers squeezed into your hips and you felt him move his hips back to meet your rhythm. Your hands moved lower, ghosting at the top of his pants. You felt him shift, urging you to free him; so you did.

Standing to attention like a little soldier, his dick flopped against your stomach. You shifted your own weight, gathering the skirt of your dress, and shifting your panties to the side, you lowered yourself on to him, both of you moaning together.

Kylo flew up, sitting up so that your legs were wrapped around him and your connection not lost, but he wanted to be close to you. He wanted his hands in your hair, and he wanted to look in your eyes. The two of you slowly and passionately made out with each other, all while rocking your hips back and forth.

It was slow, passionate, yet delicate, and it felt amazing. Kylo pushed down the strap of your dress, exposing one of your breasts to the warm sunny air. Gently he gathered it in his hand and fondled and massaged away, rolling your nipple between his fingers. You let out little moans and whimpers as you dug your fingers into his shoulders.

It was thrilling and intoxicating to be making love under the bright blue Nabooian sky. The sound of the waterfall and the songs of birds mixing with your moans and small audibles of ecstasy. You felt The Force begin to twirl at your clit, forcing a few more gasps to bubble from your throat.

Your legs tightened and you squeezed Kylo close to you as your orgasm crashed over you. Your walls pulsing and shaking. If you could have pulled him straight though your body, you would have. Kylo pushed you backwards, your head softly landing on the picnic blanket and your hair getting caught in the tall grass. He rocked his hips at a faster pace now, desperate to bring himself to his own completion.

His whole body tensed up and for a moment he froze, you felt that familiar warmth spread inside of you, and you sighed. He stayed close to you, peppering you with kisses before carefully moving the fabric of your dress around so as not to get it dirty.

"I love you." He softly said to you.

"And I love you." You responded. Kylo's face was all soft and he actually was smiling. He was about to lean down and kiss you when something shifted. His whole facial expression changed and he sat up, looking around. Your anxiety was raised when you saw him reach for his lightsaber which he had propped up next to the picnic basket.

"What is it?" You asked, staying low under the tall grass.

"Shh." He softly said. That was when you heard it, the faint hum of an approaching ship. It sounded like it was coming from the direction of the cottage. You held your breath while gazing at Kylo who was clearly reaching out with the force to see if he recognized who exactly was coming. After a moment he relaxed.

"We have to go." He said. You began to gather all the things and shoved them haphazardly into the picnic basket. He helped you your feet and the two of you made your way back to the cottage.

You hid in the tree line as Kylo scoped out the place, you were relieved to see that it was only Ap'lek in a TIE Fighter. Kylo took your hand and urged you on.

This couldn't be good.

"What's wrong?" Kylo asked Ap'lek as the two of you approached him.

"There's been an attack on a Resistance base." Ap'lek said.

"What? I didn't order any attacks." Kylo said.

"It wasn't us... it was _them."_ Ap'lek said. Immediately you and Kylo both understood. Kylo went to speak with Ap'lek to learn more about what was going on, and you decided to start packing your things. It was clear that your trip to the country was going to be cut short.

With your bags packed and things back in their proper places, you sat on the edge of the bed waiting for Kylo to come back into the cottage. When he did, he had a look on his face that you could only describe as _terrified_.

"I'm sorry... we have to head back." He said, genuinely disappointed.

"I figured. I already packed up."

"Thank you." He said, starting to gather your two duffel bags. You left the cottage and looked back on it, sad to be leaving, but you understood. You needed to head back, there were things that needed to be investigated.

"This is bigger than we originally thought." Kylo said as he powered up the Silencer.

"How so?" You asked.

"We don't know yet, but I damn well will find out." He said, lifting the ship off the ground and holding you tightly to him. You watched with disappointment at the cottage disappeared behind you and the Silencer was followed closely by Ap'lek's TIE.

Back at The Palace, Kylo kissed you one more time before you exited the Silencer. Already, in the Hangar there was a large group waiting. Hux, the rest of The Knights, Danka, and various other officials.

"Cardo, Ushar, Vicrul, and Trudgen will escort you back to our rooms and guard you. Please don't go anywhere or do anything. I have to talk with Hux and the others." He said to you, pleading with you, his voice desperate.

"I promise." You said.

"Good girl." He said, squeezing your hand before you turned to be surrounded by the four Knights and Danka.

"Sorry about your trip ma'am." Danka said as you walked the hallway leading to your rooms.

"It's no worries. Such is life. Did you have a good night?"

"I did." She said, a hint of a blush rising to her cheeks.

" _Oh?_ Did you spend it with anyone _special?_ " You asked.

"General Hux took me to a fancy restaurant." She giggled.

"Oh you're going to have to tell me all about it." You said as Cardo pushed open the door to your rooms. You were stopped in your tracks to see that your rooms had been entirely ransacked.

"Stay here." Cardo said. You watched as Cardo went into the room to search it while the other three knights guarded you and Danka.

"All clear." Cardo said. You pushed him aside and walked through the chaos that was now your rooms.

Chairs had been flipped over, pillows torn, curtains ripped from the wall, pictures crooked. Whoever did this wasn't looking to steal from you, no, they were looking to make a point. Nothing was taken, all your clothes and jewelry and everything was still there.

When you walked into the bedroom you stopped in the door way, frozen at what you saw.

Hanging above your bed was a sheet; and on that sheet in crude paint was the symbol. The circle with three lines through it.  
  
  


***  
  
  


Across the galaxy, Leia Organa gazed at her destroyed base. The attack had happened suddenly and swiftly. Fortunately there were very few casualties.

Leia gripped at her cane in anger. None of this made sense.

She sat down on a nearby boulder just to catch her breath and calm her nerves. In the distance she heard footsteps approaching. Turning, she was greeted by Rose.

"General... She's fine, the injury is manageable." Rose said. Leia sighed in relief. For reasons she did not understand yet, there had been an attempt on Rey's life. Rey was hit in the shoulder with a blaster, but fortunately she would survive and heal. They were then inundated by unidentifiable ships. The base was totally assaulted. It would be a total loss.

"Thank the stars." Leia said.

"There's something else too, General..." Rose began.

"What is it?"

"You're going to want to see it. I can't describe it." Rose said. Leia could tell it was serious. Rose was pale in the face and he had a look of terror in her eyes. Leia walked closely with her around to the front of the base. She coughed as she walked through a cloud of smoke. All around her, her fighters were scurrying trying to put out fires and tend to the wounded.

Rose didn't have to point it out to her, Leia knew the moment she saw it.

It was a sheet of metal leaning up against a now destroyed X-wing. On that sheet of metal, etched with a laser was a symbol:

A circle with three lines through it.   
  
  
  
  


Shout out to [sou-ther1](https://www.wattpad.com/user/sou-ther1) for this amazing artwork!!!!


	20. Unexpected, Yet Welcome

The room was wrecked as it was, but when Kylo got finished with it, it was a total loss. You stood there in the doorway, arms across your chest as you watched a vase fly across the room.

It was a shame... it was a nice vase.

Kylo paced back and forth huffing and puffing, his face red with anger. You were angry too... but for you it was more of a slow, slow burn.

You felt violated. They had raided your room. Went through your belongings. Left their calling card above your bed.

They wanted you to know it was them.

They wanted you and Kylo to know that they could get _that_ close to you.

You felt a presence approaching you from behind. Looking over your shoulder you saw it was Hux. Just as Hux was about to speak you raised your hand, silently telling him to shut up if he wanted to live.

Now wasn't the time.

"I want every servant, droid, employee, camera, and living life form questioned. I want to know who saw what and how the hell this went undetected!" Kylo yelled once he saw Hux.

"We are already checking security footage, sir." Hux nervously said.

"I want it all. I will find these assholes and I will eradicate them!" Kylo spat.

"We are working diligently on it as we speak. Right now we need to think about moving you and Mistress Ren to a more secure location. Clearly the palace is compromised." His said.

"Clearly...." Kylo huffed.

"Might we cancel the remainder of our stay here on Naboo?" Hux asked.

"No. That's what they want. They want us to cower and be afraid of them. They'll expect us to retreat." You interject.

"I will not have you in danger for a minute more." Kylo said to you.

"Nor will I." Hux said.

"We worked too hard on this tour to just throw it all away over a close call with some new upstart rebels! We will crush them just as we always have with ALL our enemies!" You passionately expressed.

"They were in our BEDROOM! They got THAT close!" Kylo yelled.

"And we weren't here!!" You raised your voice back. You raising your voice startled him. He stood there, staring at you with his fists clenched.

"They're just trying to scare us. They _want_ us to run and hide. We can't give them what they want." You repeated yourself. Both Kylo and Hux were looking down at you with somewhat disapproving looks on their faces. For the first time.... _ever..._ both Hux and Kylo agreed on the same thing; and that was keeping you safe. 

"We'll discuss this later, we need to get to a more secure location for now." Kylo said to you as if you were a little child, which pissed you off greatly. You rolled your eyes and went to walk past him, knocking your shoulder against his arm deliberately as you passed. You slammed the bedroom door behind you.

***

Word eventually did get out as to what happened and Senator Noaala came rushing down to express his apologies for the breech of security. Fortunately for Senator Noaala, he came and saw you and not Kylo, so the senator got to live another day. Queen Magda too sent three of her handmaidens to help with the cleanup and repacking of your belongings. 

It didn't take long to oversee the cleanup, and by the time it was done, Kylo was back from meeting with advisors to discuss further plans. 

"We worked too hard on this tour to just leave it. I'm certain that this is what these rebels want. They want us to run and cower." You felt like a broken record saying it once more, but Kylo was adamant on getting off the planet. 

"We don't know where or how these people are getting their information. It's too much of a risk to stay much longer. For all we know, it could be someone here in the palace." Kylo said, pacing back and forth. 

"And for all we know, it could also be someone within our own ranks." You added.

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this." Kylo said.

"Why don't we meet in the middle. We'll cut the visit short and leave two days from now. Let's fulfill what we promised with Nabooian leaders for the next two days and then we'll leave. How does that sound?" You said, crossing the room and taking his hand. 

"This damn tour really means that much to you?" He said, searching your eyes, a stern look still on his face.

"It does. We are _so_ close to securing official allegiance from Naboo and signing several treaties. Senator Noaala already came and saw me. He was very apologetic and worried this might affect our relations with Naboo." You said, your eyes pleading with him. He stared into your eyes for a long time before his face softened and he sighed.

"Two days, and you go _nowhere_ without The Knights. Got it?" He firmly said.

"I'd expect nothing less." You said, getting up on your tippy toes and kissing his cheek. Kylo brought his hands up to your hips and held you in place for a moment before fully wrapping his arms around you and squeezing you tightly to his chest. 

This new threat really did scare him. 

With all your things packed up, you and Kylo were moved to a First Order base... below ground... in a bunker... one hour from Theed. You would have to adjust your schedule for the next two days, but the security was better. 

You needed to let Kylo do his own thing with the investigation, that was the only way he was going to feel better. So you just stayed to yourself in your new bunker bedroom that didn't even have a window to the outside. 

You wanted to do your own investigating, so you asked Danka to bring any intelligence reports she could so that you could review them. You looked over aerial pictures of The Resistance Base attack. You were shocked to see just how bad the attack had been. This new gang really did have some firepower behind them. 

You also began look over briefings and findings from the Theed palace. It was very unsettling to find that security footage caught nothing on camera when it came to the trashing of your room while you were gone. Interviews of security guards and personnel were still being conducted, so you would have to wait. 

You began to rack your brain as to why this gang wanted _you_ in particular dead. If they were Imperial Purists... did they possibly believe you _weren't_ a Palpatine? Your memory was still hazy when it came to your childhood, you would need to do more investigation yourself. The only way you felt you were able to do that would be by combing through Snoke's old journals, which were inconveniently on The Valiance. 

Two days. Just two more days and you could do a deep dive into that. 

***

**_Kylo's POV_ **

First Order intel confirmed that Leia Organa was unharmed in the Resistance Attack. It was also confirmed that the attacked started with the attempted assassination of the scavenger girl. 

None of it made sense. Why was this gang declaring enemies on both groups?

Usually by now an enemy would make it's wants known. They would be foolish enough to try and barter and negotiate with The First Order. That hasn't happened yet, and there was no known way to contact whoever belonged to this gang. 

It was beyond frustrating.

Kylo oversaw some of the interviews with Palace personnel himself. The vast majority of them were useless, literally knowing and seeing nothing. There was one small break however.

A janitor who had seen two men dressed as Palace security walking the halls of the palace at a time when security normally doesn't walk the halls. The janitor also said that he didn't recognize the two men at all. Using the statement from the janitor, times were able to be narrowed down and security footage combed through better.

"There... zoom in on that." Kylo said to the security technician who was nervously overseeing the review of the footage. The technician paused and zoomed in on the frame that Kylo pointed to.

"I do not recognize those two men." The head of security who was also forced to be with Kylo nervously said.

"That's who we are looking for then." Kylo said, his eyes fixated on the hologram image of the two men in question. Kylo balled his hands in to fists, the leather of his gloves squeaking as he did so.

Kylo didn't return back to the new bunker that night. He sent four of the Knights to guard Y/n and the bunker. There was no way in hell that he was going to be able to sleep. He needed to keep working. He needed to know what was going on at every possible moment. 

Part of Kylo was beginning to grow resentful over the tour. In his mind he felt it could have been easier if he just showed up with a full fleet of Star Destroyers and _forced_ the Nabooian people into official submission and threaten a reign of terror on them if they didn't comply. He felt like this was a waste of time when he could have been advancing forces elsewhere and flexing the might of The First Order. 

It meant a lot, however, to Y/n to do things this way... and so far she had been right, it had been successful. It just took so damn long and was tedious. 

This would be the last tour they would be doing for a _long_ time. 

Kylo had stayed awake all night and would continue to stay awake for the remainder of the following day. When he arrived back to the bunker he was disappointed to see that Y/n was gone, already departed to preform her humanitarian duties for the day. 

Kylo sat on the edge of the bed, regretting not being with her.

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

***

You laid awake all night filled with anxiety. Kylo never came back. He didn't even send word as to where he was or what he was up to. He just sent Ap'lek, Cardo, Ushar, and Vicrul to guard your door and to tell you he was "busy"... whatever that meant. 

It pissed you off greatly because it felt _just_ like all the times Snoke would lock you away with the Praetorian guards watching over you. It set you off into a bad mood and a spiraling of negative thoughts.

You began to worry that Kylo was angry with you for wanting to stay, or that he was growing resentful over your ideas about winning over allies diplomatically. The thought of him being upset with you in any possible way had your stomach doing flips. He would get into his moods from time to time, but never had he spent a night away from you before.

You paced around the bedroom, having only gotten two hours of sleep. You were waiting for the knights to tell you your transport was ready to take you into Theed. The plan for the day was to tour a city orphanage with Queen Magda. 

You felt like you were going to be sick, so you rushed to the 'fresher and upchucked your breakfast into the toilet bowl.

"Fuck!" You grumbled as you watched the water swirl and drain away. Ever since the night at the nightclub you felt like shit. You were nauseous, achy, exhausted, and in a perpetual bad mood. You were even starting to admit to yourself that maybe doing these long planet tours wasn't for you. It was too stressful. 

You stared at yourself in the mirror as you aggressively brushed your teeth. You began to wonder how a bunch of little orphans were going to react to four of The Knights of Ren. You knew that the Knights could be harmless, but they did look terrifying all the time. 

Gosh... it was probably going to be nothing but pictures of crying children.

You then heard a knock on your door. You slipped some comfortable shoes on and went to answer it. On the other side Ap'lek stood, his helmet in his hand, and he gave you a soft smile. The four knights knew you were pissed off. You may or may not have thrown your hair brush across the room and audibly had an argument with yourself the night before. 

"The transport is ready, Love." he said.

"Great. Let me just get my cloak." You said, turning and to grab the garment which hung behind the door. As you were donning the garment, Ap'lek stepped into the room.

"Master Ren has been busy with the investigations. Interviews carried on into the night." He said.

"Ok." You abruptly said, you figured that would be the case, but it still annoyed you. 

"Also... Estrid will be accompanying us on today's visit." 

"I don't need a fifth baby sister." You said, pushing passed him and out into the hallway. 

"She likes kids." Ap'lek said, pulling your room door shut behind him as he joined you with the others in the hall. 

"Whatever." You sighed. The four knights looked between themselves. Ap'lek shook his head and put his helmet on and the five of you walked thorough the halls to the hangar where your transport was. 

Estrid was already on board and she looked lovely as usual. She was dressed in an emerald green cloak with emerald earrings, and again her hair was elegantly swooped up into a mature and timeless style. 

"Good morning." She said, getting up and kissing you on the cheek.

"Good morning." You sighed, sitting down next to her,

"Did you sleep well?" 

"No... Kylo never came back last night."

"Oh... He's just all worried, that's all." She said, putting her hand on your knee. The Knights all boarded the transport and the doors were closed, in a matter of moments you were up in the air flying towards your destination. 

Things were silent, in fact the ride was so smooth and quiet that you were starting to doze off. What alerted you was the sound of Cardo unhooking his helmet and placing it on the floor. You watched as he took out a packet of something and tore it open. Immediately the smell of it filled your nose and you gagged.

"Ew! What is that!?" You said, covering your nose with your hand.

"Yogurt..." Cardo said, confused.

"It smells awful." You took your cloak and covered your nose and mouth with it. 

"I don't smell it at all." Cardo said, bringing it up to his nose and sniffing.

"Y/n must have a sensitive nose. You should go eat it in the back." Estrid said, patting your knee. Cardo sighed and grumbled, but got up and went to the back of the transport. Still the smell lingered and it was making you nauseous. Estrid looked over at Ap'lek and gave him a knowing look, Ap'lek just shrugged his shoulders.

"Here, I have breath mints, the peppermint helps." Estrid said, taking out a tin of white candies and handing one to you.

"Thank you." You said, popping one in your mouth and instantly starting to feel better. The rest of the trip was silent. When you arrived to the orphanage, you mentally psyched yourself up so that you could put on a cheery face. There was a small crowd gathered outside the building, excited to see you and the Queen. 

As you exited the transport, you saw that Queen Magda had already arrived. As usual she was fully dressed in all her regalia. She gave you a smile and you greeted her with a customary kiss on the cheek. Reporters and journalists were all vying for your attention, taking your photo, but you ignored them, instead you just chose to be ushered inside to see the Orphanage. 

The orphanage was in need of an official patron. The building was old and needed renovations, and funding was needed to pay for more teachers to come teach the children. The headmaster was a kind old woman who took you from room to room. You had time to be introduced to some of the children, you even got to play with a few. 

Wisely, the Knights stayed at a distance so as not to terrify the children. As the day went on however, it was Ushar and Cardo who got in on some of the activities, even showing the kids how to play a sort of ball game and letting some of the older boys hold their weapons. 

The event ended up being a very nice experience and it boosted your mood. You were laughing with the little ones, singing with them, and playing games. You were very much interested in the operations of the orphanage and wanted to know what they needed. 

It wasn't much and you could see that the staff greatly care for the children. The building was clean and orderly, all the children were well cared for and dressed. The place just needed some updating and a little bit of funding. 

You learned that from the headmaster that the older children have a harder time being adopted out. So they wanted to set up an educational program that would set the older children up for a better future as adults when they leave the orphanage. Once you learned this, you accepted the invitation to be the Orphanage's patron and you pledged a donation of 10,000 credits to go towards the new education initiative.

You even suggested to the headmaster that the initiative should be science and technology focused with a push towards voluntary First Order employment. The Order was always looking for more engineers and science professionals. Both Queen Magda and the headmaster were thrilled to hear this news. 

You gave a little speech to the children and they all cheered, excited to get new teachers and a few new things around the school. As the visit was dying down, you sat out in the building's garden listening to and playing with some of the children. The sun was very bright and you were feeling a bit sweaty. 

"Ma'am, it's nearing the time to go back to the base. We should begin making our way out and saying goodbye." Ap'lek came over and informed you. 

"Oh... ok..." You said, fanning yourself with your hands. When you went to stand up, you swayed for a moment and Ap'lek caught you by the elbow.

"Are you ok?" He whispered. In the corner of your eye you saw Estrid come over to you.

"Yeah... yeah... I stood up too quickly." You said, trying to blink away any haziness. You didn't want to make a scene. Steadying yourself, you linked arms with Estrid and began to make your way out of the building. You smiled and said goodbye to everyone you passed. You thanked the headmaster one more time, and you said goodbye to Queen Magda. 

You boarded the transport and stood in the middle, you felt very dizzy. One by one the Knights and Estrid boarded behind you. Things started to feel very distant, like you were viewing life through a tunnel. 

"Are you alright?" You heard Estrid say, although her voice sounded very far away. 

The last thing you remembered was things fading to black.

***

Your eyes blinked open and as they came back into focus you saw Estrid's kind face gazing down on you. You watched as she reached up and patted a cool cloth against your forehead. As you came back to normal you saw that you were laying down on the bench in the transport. You went to start getting up.

"Easy now. Move slowly." Estrid cautioned you. She help you sit up into a seated position and you looked around to see Ap'lek, Cardo, Ushar, and Vicrul, all with their helmets in their hands staring at you with concerned looks on your face. 

"What happened?" You asked.

"You fainted." Estrid said, reaching her hand out to Ap'lek who handed her a bottle of orange liquid. She handed it to you and told you to drink up. It was a citrusy drink, it wasn't too bad, it felt good on your stomach.

"What's this?" You asked.

"Just some juice, to help you feel better." She said with a kind smile. 

"Thank you, I do feel better." You said with a smile.

"Good... we are making a stop before heading back to the base. After that you are going to rest all night." She smiled.

"Oh... where are we stopping?" You asked, as you felt the transport slow down.

"I just need to make a personal purchase, then we'll be on our way." She said, pulling her cloak over her head before going to exit the transport. You watched as Ap'lek also went out with her.

You couldn't believe you fainted. You felt so stupid and weak. The only good thing was at least you didn't faint in front of a crowd of people.

"How bad did I faint?" You asked the boys.

"You hit the ground like a sack of potatoes." Cardo said.

"Yeah... it was like one minute you were fine, and then BOOM.... flat out." Ushar said. 

"Oh gosh... this is so embarrassing." You said, holding your head in your hands.

"It _was_ kind of funny." Vicrul chuckled. 

"Fuck you, Vicrul." You chuckled back.

"Hey... watch it!" He playfully said. By now you were seeing the slight humor in it, it must have been a sight to see. It didn't take long for Estrid and Ap'lek to return. Soon enough the transport was flying again taking you back to the base. 

Your mind immediately went to Kylo. Had he been told about what happened? You hoped not. You were feeling fine now, and the last thing you needed was him being extra fussy. 

You were surprised when you arrived back to the base when you didn't see him nervously pacing in the hanger. You got off the transport and Estrid took your hand.

"Come on... it's time for some girl time." She said to you, leading you away. You turned around and watched as the Knights stayed behind, leaving you alone with Estrid. 

"Was Kylo told I fainted?" You asked.

"No... Ap'lek was going to tell him, but I convinced him otherwise."

"Oh... Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet..." She cautioned. She wasn't taking you back to your room, instead she led you through he halls towards where the Knight's rooms were. She entered a code into the panel of a door and took you inside. You were standing in her's and Ap'lek's room.

"I'm going to ask you a question... and I don't want you to be embarrassed." Estrid began. You just nervously looked at her.

"When was the last time you had your monthly bleed?" She asked. She had told you not to get embarrassed, but here you were, completely red in the face and mortified. 

"Oh... um... over a month ago? I don't recall exactly, I have a calendar I keep on The Valiance, it sometimes doesn't always come when it should. It's always been like that." You stammered. Estrid just smiled and pulled out a little brown bag she had been carrying under her cloak. From that brown back she took out a box and began to open it. 

"Here... go to the 'fresher and pee on this, put the cap back on and bring it out here." She said, handing you a stick looking device. You nervously took off your cloak and took he device from her and went to the 'fresher. With the door closed behind you, you stared at your now pale face in the mirror.

You weren't _totally_ naive. You knew how babies were made, but you had always assumed that it wasn't _that_ easy. You had heard gossip from Command officials who said it had taken _years_ for them to start a family. So you just assumed that's the way things were. Never in your wildest dreams would you think it would only take... what... a month?

You snapped back into reality and turned on the faucet of the sink just to add some noise to the space. You took off the cap of the little stick device and went over to the toilet and did your business just as Estrid instructed. 

You placed the device screen side down, you didn't want to look at it, and you washed your hands. Coming out of the 'fresher you handed the stick back to Estrid and nervously paced the room.

"I... I... didn't know..." You nervously began to ramble.

"What... no one told you how babies were made?" She asked.

"No.... I knew _that_.... I just thought... that it took like a _long_ time. Like _years._ " You said, holding yourself with your arms. 

"Oh... Love... some people are just different." She sympathetically said. 

"Now what are we going to do? We have people trying to kill me and I could be pregnant." You ran your hands through your hair nervously. 

"You're going to keep on keeping on. It won't be the end of the world." She smiled. You just stared at her... all the color drained from your face.

" _Fuck...._ Kylo is going to lock me up and never let me out!" You said, tears stinging your eyes. 

"No... that won't happen." Estrid said. You wanted to say something else, but the little stick device beeped telling you the results were ready.

"I don't want to look at it." You said. Estrid sighed and took the stick and flipped it over. You tried to read the expression on her face, but she kept her expression neutral.

"Well...?!" You asked.

"Looks like there will be a little baby Ren running around." She said with a smile holding up the stick that had a green blinking light indicating positive. 

"Shit..." 

***

The nervousness, anxiety, and panic you felt initially had worn off. Estrid walked you back to your room and you were now sitting on the edge of the bed turning the pregnancy test over and over in your hand. You looked at the little green light and smiled. 

Estrid was right. It wasn't the end of the world. You were now finding yourself to be... excited. 

You crawled up to the head of the bed and made yourself comfortable. You pulled out a data pad and stared searching baby things on the galactic web. You found yourself getting choked up looking at little baby photos and products.

Gosh... you were an emotional mess. This morning you woke up pissed off and annoyed, and now you were crying over baby booties. You were a blubbering mess when you saw a shop selling a little cloak that kind of matched Kylo's. 

You put your datapad down when you heard the doors to your rooms open and the familiar sound of Kylo's boots against the floor. Your bedroom door flew open and he looked both exhausted and utterly concerned.

"What happened? Are you ok? Ap'lek told me you fainted. Did they take you to the medbay?" He asked as he crossed the room.

"No... I'm fine... I didn't need the medbay." You said through sniffles and wiping the tears from your face.

"You need to see a doctor. You're crying... what's wrong?" He asked. You just busted out laughing like some sort of lunatic. He went from looking concerned to looking slightly pissed and confused.

"This isn't funny! I ran all the way here from the command center of the base!" He said, his voice getting stern. It just made you laugh even harder. He got up and began to look around, his eyes settling on your datapad. He picked it up and looked utterly baffled to see that the screen was open to baby clothes. 

He watched you intently as you leaned over, still giggling, and picked up the pregnancy test from where you had placed it on the nightstand. You then handed it to him. He looked down at it and his eyes went wide. Wider than you've ever seen them before.

"Surprise!" You giggled. 

"No..." He said in disbelief. 

"Yep."

"No..."

"It's right there, clear as day."

" _Nooooo_." His voice cracking this time. He gripped the test in his hand and brought it to his chest. You could have swore you saw tears in his eyes. You began to get nervous again. Was he upset? Was he happy? You had no idea. 

He leaned forward and laid on top of you, his lips finding your cheek. Relief flowed over you, he wasn't upset. You could feel that in the way he kissed you, how his hand went down to your lower stomach and protectively covered it. 

"I was freaking out before, but I'm ok with it now... I think." You softly said. 

"It's unexpected.... yet _very_ much welcome." He lowly said. 

"Really? You're not upset?"

"No... why would I be upset? You're always thinking I'm going to be upset with you."

"I don't know..." You sheepishly said. 

"Why were you crying though?"

"These booties are really, _really_ cute." You laughed, holding up the datapad. He rolled his eyes at you. 

Kylo pulled you tightly to him as you started to go on about the little baby cloak you had seen. You were trying to find it again to show him. He kissed the top of your head as you went on and he couldn't help but think back to all the times he would look at you and briefly think what it would be like to knock you up. The thought had crossed his mind on a few occasions. He, like you, just assumed it would take more time. 

Going into this with you he knew children were always a possibility. Really what better way to _really_ unite the two bloodlines and to further the legacy? A feeling of nervousness did, however, creep up on him. 

There was still no new revelations regarding the gang. What would they do once it became public that you were pregnant? Would they try even harder to kill you? Now there was more at stake. Kylo wasn't just thinking of you, but also the little life that was inside of you.

Another feeling crept up on him, a feeling that he didn't really want to address at that moment. 

A feeling of inadequacy. 

Was he even capable of being a father or would he just be a failure?

**_********_ **

**A/N**

**Some of you all guessed it a few chapters ago!!! So good job!! lol.**

**I know some people don't like this plot line in fanfics... but I do... and I do what I want!! MUWAHAHAHAHA.**

**Any who... if you're feeling unsure about how and where this is going, I am begging you to just _please_ trust the process!!! **

**Things are getting juicy now, there will be more to come, I am guessing this is going be a longer fic than my previous one! So please stay tuned.**

**Also please keep the comments and likes rolling in! I do a little happy dance every time I get a new one. I know I say it a lot, but it is true LOL.**

**xoxo,**

**Nia 💋**


	21. Deep Dive

You woke up the next morning spooned up against Kylo with his hand spread and firmly pressed against your lower stomach. Come to think of it, his hand hadn't left your stomach since you told him the news. You didn't want to get up, but the wave of nausea you felt force you to do otherwise.

It wasn't the beer and nachos after all. You came to this realization as you dry heaved into the toilet in the 'fresher. You tried to be quiet to not wake Kylo, but you soon felt his hands on your back and then his fingers delicately pulling back your hair.

"I'm both hungry and nauseous at the same time...." you groaned into the toilet.

"What do you think you can eat?" He softly said.

"A plain bagel with butter." You instantly knew. It's what you've been eating for the past few days. You felt him rub your back before getting up and leaving to search for a bagel.

Once you were certain you were done gagging, you got up to brush your teeth and go back to bed. It was still very early and you had some time to spare. Kylo wasn't gone long, when he returned he had a perfectly toasted buttered bagel on a plate and a glass of ginger tea for you. You eagerly ate it up, having something in your stomach helped a bit.

Kylo kissed your shoulder and pushed your hair behind your ear as you nibbled on your bagel. Satisfied that you weren't going to puke anymore, he got up to get himself ready for the day. With your bagel devoured, you stretched and got up. You might as well start your day now.

Going into the 'fresher, you started to strip yourself of your little lace nightgown. The mirror above the sink was just starting to fog up since Kylo beat you to the shower. You caught sight of your naked frame and couldn't believe how you hadn't noticed that your stomach just ever so slightly started to poke out. It wasn't much, it looked like you were either bloated or had a big meal, but still... it was there.

You smiled to yourself and then slipped into the shower behind Kylo. He was rinsing his hair off from shampoo when you wrapped your arms around his waist and looked up at him. You were entranced by the sight of his muscular neck and shoulders, how thick his neck was, and how glorious he looked under the sheen of water.

"Hey hey." He said, feeling you grip him tightly. All the shampoo was rinsed and he looked down at you.

"Check this out." You said, stepping away and showing him the side profile of your body and how your stomach poked out slightly. The biggest grin spread over his face and he knelt down, wrapped his arms around your thighs, and blew a zerbert into your lower stomach.

The room was filled with the comical sound of Kylo's mouth against your stomach and you hysterically laughing because it tickled. Kylo then began to move his mouth upwards, kissing you instead, a trail of wet kisses climbing your body. He sucked a nipple between his lips and then moved onward to your neck and finally your face.

He held your face in his hands as he moved you around so you could stand under the water. You sighed when the hot water hit your back, and you tossed your head back to let the water flow through your hair. Kylo took the opportunity of your head tossed back to attack your neck with kisses, sucking here and there, leaving the faintest of love marks on your delicate flesh.

He reached behind you and took your loofa and some of your new favorite body soap and began to suds you up. With a boyish look on his face, he flicked soap onto your boobs.

"I love you." You said, reaching up and wrapping your arms around his neck.

"I know." he said, leaning down and connecting his lips to yours. The water hit both of your bodies, rinsing you of any remaining soap. Kylo deepened the kiss, his tongue seeking entrance to your mouth. Granting him access you felt him buck up against you, his dick hard and waiting.

"Don't we need to be at a meeting or something this morning?" You sighed as his mouth went to your jawline and his hands to your hair.

"Mmmm.... yes." He said, dropping one hand and sliding his fingers through your folds. You gasped when the pad of his index finger found your clit, and you moaned as he started to gently twirl at it.

"We can be a little late..." He said in you your ear, his other hand sliding to your lower back, pushing you into him as he bucked against your body. Saying nothing else, he grabbed you by the hips and spun you around. He gripped your hips tightly and he rubbed his cock over the soft flesh of your ass. His right hand dropped again and picked up a pace again on your clit.

You lifted up your hands and braced yourself against the tiled wall and pressed yourself hard against him while trying to rub yourself more on his hand. He _always_ managed to do this to you. It didn't take much for him to get you wet and wanting.

Kylo snaked his hand out of the shower and using the force he brought the bottle of coconut oil you used as a moisturizer to his hand. He scooped some the semi solid product out of the container and coated his cock with it, pumping himself into his hand. He reached down and lifted your leg up before positioning himself between your folds.

He was now supporting most of your weight, holding you up right by your leg with one hand and with the other he brought it up to your neck. He stroked through your folds several times, leaving you whimpering before he pushed inside of you, stretching you out and making you feel full.

"I _love_ starting our morning like this." He said as he began to thrust in and out of you. From the angle at which he entered you, you felt him hitting that sweet spot inside of you over and over again, leaving you a whimpering and pleading mess.

"I get to look at you... sit next to you... walk with you... all day... knowing I started the morning by making you cum _soooo_ hard on my cock." His mouth was close to your ear sending shivers down your spine. You nodded your head as whimpers and moans left your lips.

"And now.... I get to walk around knowing in that perfect belly of yours.... you're carrying my child... _fuuuuck...._ that turns me on." He all but growled as his thrusting got more intense. He brought his mouth down to your shoulder and bit you, causing you to let out a little yelp.

The room was filled with steam, the sounds of your bodies moving together, and the audible gasps and moans leaving your mouths.

"I... I... I need to cum... _please make me cum_." You begged feeling the pressure build inside of you. Your legs were going limp, you were relying on Kylo more and more to keep you upright as he railed into you from behind.

Roughly, Kylo brought his hand up to the detachable shower head, and skillfully switched it to the massage setting with his thumb before bringing it down to your core and holding it at your center. You screamed in ecstasy as the water pulsated hard on your clit. You almost couldn't take it, you wanted to push his hand away, but you wanted your release more.

It came all at once, blinding you and hitting you like freight ship. You lost your vision for a moment as your screams echoed in the 'fresher. You couldn't feel your legs as they spasmed and shook. Your walls clamping down hard on Kylo, milking him of every last drop of his own climax.

You swatted the shower head away, and leaned back against Kylo, trying to catch your breath. He slipped out of you, you felt his cum dribble out of you and down your legs.

"Well atleast I can't get you even more pregnant..." he chuckled.

***

The big meeting you had consisted of key First Order officials, and key Nabooian officials. It was the big talk about forming an official alliance. The Nabooian leaders expressed all their concerns and what they hoped the First Order could offer, and Kylo and others expressed what they wanted from Naboo.

"You know.... if you had asked me several weeks ago if we would even be considering an alliance with The First Order, I would not have believed you. Yet... after meeting the lovely Mistress Ren, I am convinced the Galaxy is now in good stable hands." Senator Noaala said. You couldn't help but smile and blush. You felt Kylo squeeze your knee under the table where you sat.

"We are all in agreement. With the economic and security improvements an alliance will bring, we are ready to sign an official agreement." Senator Noaala continued. With that good news, Kylo stood up and reached his hand across the table to shake the senator's hand.

A mountain of paperwork needed to be signed. You shook what felt like hundreds of hands. It was an overall positive mood. You nearly fainted again when you saw that _both_ Hux and Kylo were smiling, and the two of them even shook hands. You were stunned.

Outside the Palace a large crowd had gathered to wish you all off. With the alliance secured and the rest of the trip canceled, you were now departing. The crowd chanted your's and Kylo's names. It was surreal. The tour, although shortened, still had been a success.

Kylo had his arm around your waist as you waved the crowd. He still hated all the pomp and circumstance, but he couldn't be in an entirely horrid mood with the tour being such a great success politically.

Kylo hooked his gloved finger under your chin and urged you to look up at him. In front of the massive crowd he kissed you again, causing them to cheer and scream.

"What was that for?" You laughed.

"The crowd... and I guess I'm in a good mood." He said with the slightest of smirks.

You began to wave the crowd farewell as you boarded the shuttle to take you back to _The Valiance._ Once the shuttle doors closed, you flopped down on a nearby chair and sighed a sigh of relief. 

***

It was a great comfort to be back on _The Valiance._ It was like being home.... which it was... as of currently _The Valiance_ was your official home. You felt safer onboard your ship, Kylo did too, but that didn't stop him from searching your rooms and offices to ensure everything was safe and secure. Kylo also didn't want you wandering around the ship unaccompanied, 2 knights had to be with you at all times.

In your absence, your office had been decorated to your specifications. You had a lovely wooden desk, a soft carpet, a few classical pieces of art, a couch, and 2 indoor plants. The office felt warm and soft, like you.

Danka sat on your couch her eyes fixated on one of Snoke's journals while you sat behind your desk also reading through. You wanted to know about yourself, specifically your family history. You knew your parents names, but besides that you had no knowledge.

Mance Palpatine was your father.

Ry'la Palpatine was your mother.

And Sola-Rey was your sister.

These were the three names you knew, and that was all. Danka was under strict instructions to look for clues about your family, and to mark any other information that might be interesting to The First Order as a whole.

"How old do you remember your sister being?" Danka asked you.

"One... two... maybe three... she was a baby." You said, your eyes looking over Snoke's chicken scratch handwriting about the initial plans of Starkiller base.

"Ok... just making sure. All I'm seeing on this journal is notes about Brendle Hux, Hux's dad." She said shaking her head.

"You never told me how that dinner went."

"Oh. It was so nice. He brought me flowers." She said with a little giggle.

" _Awwwww,_ little Huxy.... being romantic." You joked. Really it was sweet. "Did you kiss him yet?" You jested.

"No... we got close once." Danka answered.

"I know that feeling." You laughed. It was then that the doors to your office slid open and Kylo came through.

"Hey. It's time." He said, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"Oh! Right!" You said as you glanced over at the clock on the wall. You reached down under your desk and slipped on your shoes.

"Danka we have a brief appointment. We'll be back in an hour or so." You said getting up from your seat.

"It wasn't noted on the schedule." Danka replied.

"It's a personal matter. I'll tell you when I get back." You smiled as you crossed the room and took Kylo's hand.

Out in the hallway, you and Kylo walked hand in hand passing various officers and stormtroopers. You were saluted and greeted as you passed. You couldn't help but notice Kylo was squeezing your hand extra tight as you walked.

"Are you nervous?" You whispered.

"Kind of..." he said. You made your way down to the medbay where Dr. Petick and his assistant were waiting for you.

"Sir... Ma'am...." He said, nodding his head to greet you. He motioned for you to follow him and you were taken to his private office.

"I have to be honest, I was quite surprised when you contacted me earlier in the week. What great excitement you two must be feeling!" The doctor said once the doors were secure and locked behind you. Your eyes watched his female assistant start to move and gather items and the things needed for the long awaited exam. The confirmation that you and Kylo were eagerly anticipating for the past two weeks.

"We are... happy." Kylo said, although to anyone who didn't know Kylo as well as you did, Kylo most certainly never looked happy. Always having that stern and menacing look on his face when he was around other people. Including right at this very moment.

"Ma'am... if you don't mind, you can follow Nurse Cambra to the adjacent room, she'll get you all set up there." Dr. Petick said. You followed the nurse to the private exam room off to the side of the office. Nurse Cambra instructed you to change out of your clothes and into a hospital gown. You were then to make yourself comfortable sitting on the exam table.

Cambra gave you privacy as you changed. You hid your bra and underwear under your folded pencil dress and donned the gown before making yourself awkwardly comfortable on the table. After a few moments there was a knock on the door and Cambra, Dr. Petick, and Kylo all came in.

"Just need a few blood samples to get us started. Cambra will take those while I ask a few questions." Dr. Petick said as Kylo anxiously paced the room. You gave Cambra your arm and turned away as she poked and prodded you with a needle. To keep you distracted, Dr. Petick started asking you various questions about your health and diet.

You answered as best as you could. You were generally a healthy person, and you had put on some weight in the past several months now that you were actually happy and eating. Cambra quickly finished with poking you and put the vial of blood into a machine which quickly beeped.

"Ahh... confirmed. The blood test is positive. Now... lets see if we can do a little scan shall we?" Dr. Petick said. Cambra helped you to recline on the exam table and then this machine was wheeled out. Dr. Petick pulled over a chair and motioned for Kylo to sit down up by your head.

He had a stone cold face, void of emotion. You hated when he got like that, but you knew that even now he didn't want to show any emotion around Dr. Petick and Nurse Cambra. You reached out to him and asked to hold his hand.

 _Blink twice if you're happy._ You thought to him. He responded by squeezing his eyes shut twice while holding your gaze.

Cambra and Dr. Petick hoisted a half dome looking device over you and it was placed over your midsection. You were now partially in a half tube. The lights were dimmed and the machine switched on. It hummed lightly and a hologram appeared above you.

Standing next to you, Dr. Petick used a datapad to control the machine, eventually a little blob appeared as well as a loud whooshing sound.

 _Whoosh... whoosh...whoosh...whoosh._ You heard on repeat.

"I'd say you're around 8 or 9 weeks, everything looks picture perfect!" The doctor said.

"That's it?" Kylo said, pointing to the little blob of a hologram.

"That's it! It's about the size of a kidney bean."the doctor confirmed

"It _looks_ like a kidney bean." You laughed.

"The heartbeat is good and strong, everything looks healthy." The doctor said. You felt Kylo firmly squeeze your hand.

"Can you tell what it is?" Kylo asked.

"No sir... it's too early for that... perhaps in a few weeks we can scan again." The doctor said, turning off the machine. Cambra took the half tube off of your midsection and you were now able to sit up.

"Ma'am; you can get dressed." Cambra said.

"Yes, we'll discuss more out in my office." The doctor said. Cambra and the doctor left leaving you and Kylo alone. As soon as the door shut, Kylo's face lit up in a smile and he grabbed your face and kissed you passionately.

"We have a little bean!" Kylo whispered to you, unsure if the doctor could hear through the door.

"I know!!!! How cool is that!?" You said, taking your clothes and starting to redress yourself. Once dressed you and Kylo went back out to the doctor's office. He was waiting with a small folder.

"Everything looks picture perfect like I said. I've ordered special supplements you're to take every night before bed, and I have a list here of approved beneficial foods you should incorporate into your diet." The doctor said handing you the file.

"Thank you doctor." You said, holding the file.

"One more thing.... when do you plan to announce the happy news? Normally it is customary to announce after the first trimester has well passed." The doctor stated.

"Well... the command ball is in a few months, we could announce then." You said, looking up at Kylo.

"I believe that will put you at about twenty or so weeks. A perfect time; so long as you can visibly conceal it long enough. You are rather petite, I anticipate you to be showing in a matter of weeks." The doctor said to you.

"It will be concealed as long as possible, for security reasons." Kylo sternly said.

"Very well then. You have our confidence. I hope to see you two back here in about three weeks. If anything arises between now and then, do not hesitate to call me."

You departed the Medbay hand in hand with Kylo again. He had to get back to certain duties and you wouldn't get to see him until that evening. He brought you back to your office.

"I'll see you tonight." He said, raising his hand up to the side of your face and rubbing his thumb over your lips.

"Yes. Tonight." You confirmed, you lifting your hand and doing the same briefly to him. He left you OBx ehe knew you were safely back inside your office.

Inside Danka was still hard at work combing though the journals. You chuckled when you saw that she had gotten cozy in your absence and taken off her shoes to tuck her feet up under herself on the couch.

"Oh! You're back!" She said, all flustered trying to get her shoes back on.

"You're fine. I take my shoes off too." You chuckled, kicking your heels off to show her.

"How was your appointment?" She asked.

"It went great! Here, take a peek at this file." You slyly said, handing her the file. You were always handing Danka paperwork, she would have been none the wiser.

Her eyes went wide once she opened the file and saw the little medical scan print out attached to the very top page.

"SHUT UP!" She said.

"Shhhh! You _can't_ tell anyone! It's for security reasons. You and I are together for like 12 hours a day, every day, so you were bound to catch on." You chuckled.

"Ok! Your secret's safe with me! Oh! I'm so excited!" She said clapping her hands together.

"Me too!" You laughed as you sat back down behind your desk to resume digging though the journals.

You and Danka chatted on and off here and there as you continued to dive deep into the journals. That day you each managed to comb through 2 of Snoke's journal. Unfortunately, there was nothing to note yet.

"Oh! Look I found something." Danka said, it was nearing the time she was to get off, but she still eagerly got up and brought the heavy leather bound journal to you.

 ** _"For years I have been seeking out the last son of our dear emperor... my master. Finally I have discovered his name and his whereabouts. Mance Palpatine. He thinks he can hide away on Batuu. Hide from his true destiny. He will hide from me no more...."_** Snoke's lanky handwriting said.

"Leave this with me. It's getting late. You go in for the night." You tell Danka.

"Alright. I'll see you in the morning." Danka responds.

"Yes. Good night." You say as she exited the room. You stared down at the page.

This was the beginning of everything you were searching for.

***

**_Kylo's POV_ **

Although his face didn't show it. Kylo was in utter awe staring up at the hologram of the bean sized baby. He could see it wiggling it's little nubs for arms and legs around. It was a feisty little thing.

Kylo had a list a mile long of things he was worried about when it came to this. Yet the moment the hologram appeared, that list of worries melted away. There it was... clear as day.

The doctor insisted everything was fine and healthy. That was a relief to hear. It was assuring to know that they had access to the best medical care in the entire galaxy.

Kylo looked down at her. Her eyes all lit up and her face glowing. She was utterly thrilled.

He was too. He just wished they weren't in the position they were in right now. A new enemy on their heels. No doubt if word about this got out, the enemy would work even harder to attack.

Walking her back to her office, Kylo reached out with The Force to scan their surroundings and search the feelings of those around them. He didn't want her to know, but he was constantly on edge now.

He now understood why "attachments" were frowned upon within the Jedi Order. It was distracting, and now Kylo would do _anything_ to ensure her safety. Anything.

Fortunately, anything he would do lined up with his personal creed as a Knight of Ren and a dark force user. It did feel good to be free of those tiresome and restrictive rules.

Kylo left her at her office. As he walked away he began to mentally count the minutes until he could be back with her again. He needed to get back to The Knights. They were deep in investigating the new enemy.

"Well?"

"Is it all good?"

"What's it look like?"

"Is there only one?"

"When's it coming?"

Kylo was hit with a wall of questions the moment he got back to the Night Buzzard's hangar. The Knights were standing around anxiously waiting for their master's return. Of course they all knew the happy news, they had to, there was no way to hide it from them.

"The doctor said it was all good. It looks like a kidney bean. There's only one. And I don't know... in like seven months, I guess? Now we need to get back to work." Kylo flatly said. Immediately the Knights got serious again and got right back to work.

They were combing the Galactic web and various other databases for any sign of this gang as well as the possible meaning of the poker chip.

Nothing.

So far they had found nothing.

Kylo pinched the bridge of his nose. His eyes were growing tired. They had been at it for hours now and it was now late in the day.

"I'm calling it a day. Report back here in the morning." Kylo said, tossing the data pad he was using onto a nearby counter. The knights all nodded as Kylo left the space.

With a brisk walk, Kylo went up to his rooms. He smirked at the thought of her already being curled up on the couch sipping tea and watching one of her holodrama's. It was what she always did at this time of day.

Entering their private quarters, Kylo took his boots off and left them by the door. She recently enacted a strict no shoes policy for their private rooms. Frankly, he didn't mind too much, the rugs she had acquired were soft and plush under his toes.

He expected her to be on the couch curled up. Instead, she was standing in the middle of the room with a heavy leather bound book in her hands, and a severe look of distress on her face as she read the pages.

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

_***_

None of this made sense. None of it.

According to Snoke's account, your father was really married to a woman named Petra, and your father and Petra lived on Batuu. So who was Ry'la, the woman whom you remember raising you and where was Sola, your sister? Not to mention the fact that you knew for certain that when you were taken you were not on Batuu.

The notes and tellings that Snoke left behind made no mention of you specifically, but they did talk about _a_ child being born to Mance Palpatine, but the dates weren't lining up with your own age and what you could remember. You were utterly confused.

"Hey..." You looked up and saw Kylo standing near the main entrance your quarters.

"Hey." You said, looking back down at the journal.

"Is everything alright?" He said, cautiously coming near you. He wrapped his arms around you and stood from behind, looking over your shoulder.

"This just doesn't make sense." You said.

"What doesn't?"

"Danka found the first mention of my father in Snoke's journal, I've been reading for the past several hours and none of what Snoke has written about matches up with what _I_ remember." You say.

"Come on, we need to eat and then we will sit down and look over it together." Kylo said, sensing how distressed you were. Your memory was something you were rightfully sensitive about. After having it taken from you for so long you were always anxious to remember things correctly.

Kylo took the journal from you and marked the page you were reading before putting it down on the coffee table. Taking your hand he took you over to the kitchenette and started pulling stuff out for dinner. You sat down on one of the stools by the counter and just watched him do what he did best, and that was cook for you.

"I'm just so confused and I don't like it." You said.

"I know... I know..." He said as pots and pans began to rattle. You watched him take off his gloves, as well as a few layers of clothes until he was just down to his pants and undershirt. He was a master at throwing together quick meals.

"We've had no luck with the poker chip or the gang yet. I'm frustrated." Kylo said.

"I'm sorry."

"There has to be something we can discover about all of this." He said as he filled a pot with water and set it on the stove.

"We'll get a break eventually." You sighed, leaning over onto the counter. The two of you chatted about a few more things, eventually reminiscing about the day's visit with Dr. Petick. That seemed to make the two of you feel much better.

Kylo had thrown together a meat sauce and pasta meal which you eagerly ate down. Some days you had a ravenous appetite and others you were a slave to vomiting in the toilet. After dinner you helped him clean up and then the two of you sat down on the couch in the living room to read over Snoke's journal.

"Ok, start from the beginning." Kylo said.

 _"For years I have been seeking out the last son of our dear emperor... my master. Finally I have discovered his name and his whereabouts. Mance Palpatine. He thinks he can hide away on Batuu. Hide from his true destiny. He will hide from me no more. I have learned that he has taken up farming in a rural part of the planet, he and his wife and child. His wife is of little to no consequence, but the child, the child is whom I seek."_ You read out loud to Kylo.

"Keep going." He said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, his usual stance to show that he was keenly listening.

 _"The wife goes by the name Petra and it has been seven or so years now since she bore him a child. As to what or whom that child is, I cannot say, at least not yet. I have sent scouts to do my bidding, they are due to report back to me as soon as they have made visual contact with Mance."_ You said.

"Let me see." Kylo said, taking the journal from you.

"It just doesn't make sense. The woman who I called mother, her name was Ry'la. And these dates, they don't add up. I wasn't born yet, I'm not _that_ old.

"You're right. These dates would make you a few years older than me." Kylo said, licking the tips of his fingers to flip through the pages.

"I makes no sense."

"Ahh... here look. Did you see this?"

 _"The scouts returned from Batuu. Mance is on to me and it would appear that he has fled the planet, I will now have to start my search over again. One confirmation was made however, the child is a boy, a boy of about nine or ten years of age, and the wife appears to be pregnant again."_ You read aloud.

"You have no recollection of a woman named Petra or having a brother?" Kylo asked.

"No... none at all." You said as he flipped though the pages. He came to another page and stopped.

 _"It would appear that others are also seeking out Mance Palpatine and the boy. I received the unfortunate news that Mance returned to his homestead on Batuu for the birth of his second child. It was then that a rogue gang attacked the homestead. The homestead is confirmed to be a total loss. The republic and that wench , Leia Organa, got to it first. The body of Petra was recovered, but as for Mance and the two children, I do not know. I am convinced they survived and they are out there. I will find them."_ Kylo read to you.

"These dates line up with my birthdate." You solemnly say, running your finger over the date at the top of the page.

"It's very possible that you _had_ and older brother and that the woman who raised you was your father's second wife." Kylo softly said, putting his arm around you.

"That... that cannot be." You said in disbelief.

"It's not unheard of." He said, kissing the top of your head. As he went to put down the journal, you noticed an off colored section fo the journal sticking out. You reached for it and opened to that page.

Out slipped a piece of fine paper. It was as if it moved in slow motion as it slipped out of the journal and on to the carpet. Kylo reached down and picked it up, turning it over. You knew it was important the moment his eyes went wide and he just stared at what was on it. You could see the reflection of the symbol in Kylo's eyes. The circle with three lines through it.  
  
  


**_"We have the boy."_ **

[sou-ther1](https://www.wattpad.com/user/sou-ther1) is our amazing artist behind the picture above!!!


	22. The Casino

You laid awake that night staring up at the ceiling. Everything you _thought_ was wrong. You felt like you had lived a lie, but at the same time you had lived a truth. Perhaps your father had had good reason for never telling you about your _real_ mother. In your heart Ry'la was your mother.

Now that you really were thinking about it, you had no memories of Ry'la prior to when you were five or six years old. Your memory prior to that age was just naturally spotty. You remembered traveling a lot, and being mostly with your father and only your father.

Your father.

Your poor father.

You remembered him being kind and serene. He cared for you tenderly and compassionately. He was also very hands on, teaching you things himself.

You couldn't even comprehend the immense pain he must have dealt with. The burden too. He was the last and youngest son of Emperor Palpatine. He has lost his brothers during the war. And now you learned that he lost his wife and child to some unspeakable evil; all while Snoke chased him across the galaxy for all eternity.

At the end of it all... he lost you... and you had no real confirmation as to if he himself was alive or dead, or what happened to your sister, Sola. That would have to be an investigation for another day. You didn't want to think about it anymore.

You were exhausted and you needed to sleep. You rolled over onto your side and nudged Kylo awake. He was always a grump if you woke him up like this.

"Mmmmmm." He groaned.

"I can't sleep."

"I can." He said, turning over. He was a real smart ass when he was half awake.

"I'm so tired."

"Then sleep."

"I _can't._ Will you... will you do what you did last time?" You asked. Kylo began to blink himself awake, bringing his hands up to his eyes to rub them.

"You sure?" He said, reaching over and pulling you close to him.

"Yeah."

"Ok." He said, gently bringing his hand to the side of your head. The two of you gazed into each others eyes, his hand playing with your hair. You felt safe. You felt secure. You felt loved.

Your eyes began to flutter as you felt The Force start to do it's trick, and you felt the drowsyness take hold of you.

"I love you." You said, sleepiness dripping from your voice. The last thing you remembered was Kylo replying to you with a kiss.  
  
  


***

Things were going amazingly within The First Order. After Naboo swore allegiance, several other planets followed suit without you having to step foot on them. It was a a massive boom for the First Order. Voluntary enlistments had gone up, production of weapons and goods were at an all time high, and yours and Kylo's approval ratings were at an all time high.

For the first time in Galactic history, it appeared that you were going to actually accomplish galactic unification all without blasting a single super weapon. Of course there were scrimmages now and again, a few rebellions here and there. But they were quickly squashed simply by putting _The Valiance_ in orbit of the rebel planet and landing a few AT-ATs, troops, and Kylo and the Knights of Ren.

Once you took those actions, rebel planetary leaders quickly bent the knee with few to no casualties. Of course there was bloodshed here and there, that was to be expected and such was the nasty side of ruling. It didn't bother you one bit, you understood that sometimes blood had to be spilled for the greater cause.

With no sign of the Shadow Watch gang. There had been no more attacks on The Resistance by them, and no threats against you. You were beginning to think that issues with them strictly had been Naboo related at the time.

Yet... _they_ were the ones who had supposedly taken your brother.

In the 5 weeks since learning about your family, you were starting to become reconciled with the revelations about them. But you still needed to learn more. Not to mention there still hadn't been a big break into finding this gang. This gang who killed your birth mother and kidnapped the brother you never knew.

There was still a very real possibility of danger at your doorstep. There was the possibility that Shadow Watch was just buying their time, waiting, hoping, preying on you.

You and Kylo lounged on the couch in the main living space of your quarters. He had his head near your stomach and he was telling the baby a story. So far, you still managed to conceal things. With a few new wardrobe purchases and alterations, curtsey of Mondo, you added chic and classic peplum tops and dresses to your wardrobe.

You were still proud of the fact that you could count the number of people who knew about the baby on your two hands.

Danka

Hux

Ap'lek

Cardo

Ushar

Kuruk

Trudgen

Vicrul

Estrid

Mondo

Sure... ten people was a lot, but they were the only ones that _needed_ to know... besides Dr. Petick and Nurse Cambra.

"... it was always Darth Vader's goal to bring peace, freedom, justice, and security to the galaxy... which is what we are doing." You heard Kylo say as you played with his hair.

"The kid is going to come out well versed in Galactic policy and politics." You chuckled.

"Good... they'll rule one day after we are gone."

"And what if they don't want to? Shouldn't they have a choice?" You said, rubbing your little bump.

"Then that's what their siblings will be for. One of them will want it." Kylo chuckled.

"Oh! We're already onto siblings now!?"

"Yes... I was an only child, it was boring at times." He said.

"And how many more times should I expect to be doing this?" You chuckled.

"Four...maybe five more times..." He dumbly said.

"FIVE!? Ok... you can grow them then!" You jokingly said, playfully shoving him away. The two of you were still laughing when you heard a knock at your door. Kylo's face immediately went serious, and he got up to answer.

It was Ap'lek.

Kylo welcomed him into the space, he even removed his boots respecting your nose shoes rule, and he carried his helmet under his arm.

"Update?" Kylo asked.

"Yes. Of course Estrid has been keeping her ears to the ground to learn anything. She's on Canto Bite this week. She just called me and said she saw a man carrying a poker chip just like the one we found. He presented it to a specific blackjack dealer, and two private security guards escorted the man away. It would appear that the casino has a hidden exclusive, members only, club." Ap'lek explained.

"Do you think we could use the chip we have to gain access?" You asked.

"Possibly. Maybe not you... but either myself or one of the boys." Ap'lek said to Kylo.

"Let's do it. Tomorrow. See what arrangements Estrid can make." Kylo ordered.

"Right away sir." Ap'lek confirmed before departing your quarters.

"This is going to be a huge break for everything." You say.

"It is. It is. We just need to work swiftly and carefully."

"I've never been to a casino before." You say twirling a piece of hair between your fingers.

"You're not going." Kylo sternly said.

"What?" Disappointment hitting you like a brick wall.

"It won't be safe. Something could happen." He was right. It could be a dangerous situation. You sulked and crossed your arms over your chest.

***

You were going.

Estrid had been with Ap'lek and known Kylo long enough to know that as soon as the two men heard that there was a break in the big mystery, they would want to come. So she started making arrangements. Part of those arrangements involved the big Fathier race that was to take place in the afternoon.

The evenings tended to be more dangerous at the casino and in Canto Bight in general; so the day time was an ideal cover. To act as a distraction, you and Kylo were going to attend the big race. In the meantime, Estrid and Ap'lek were going to try and gain entry into the private club. All of this was thrown together at the very last minute and was being kept very hush hush. You didn't even let Hux or Danka know what was going on.

The dress you decided to wear concealed your stomach perfectly. It had a high waist line and a bubble like skirt. It was perfect for the casino and the race. You did your hair and makeup and found yourself to be very giddy at the prospect of seeing Fathiers. You had heard that they were majestic creatures.

Kylo dressed down a bit as well, putting on a more suitable all black get up for the occasion. All the knights too dressed in appropriate casino attire. Once you all were ready, you and Kylo boarded the command shuttle which was taking you and 6 stormtroopers down to Canto Bight. The Knights would be following in a separate transport. The purpose of the troopers was to act as a "fake" security detail, really the Knights would be close by the entire time.

You caused quite a stir once you touched down in the luxury city. No one had expected the Supreme Leader and his Consort to be attending the big race. People flocked and gathered all around to ooo and ahh over the two of you. It was reminiscent of Naboo how they cheered your names.

In the sunlight, the city gleamed and glittered. It dripped in luxury and opulence. The people who went out by day were dressed in their finest, all of them certainly dripping in credits and riches. The sight was one you were in awe of. Everything was decadent and gilded. The air even smelled sweet and flavorful, and through the whole space there was soft music playing and flower petals just casually floating in the air.

The city was a rich person's paradise.

You were ushered into the casino and straight to the racetrack to a private box. Your job as serving as a distraction was working. All you had to do now was watch the race and hope Ap'lek and Estrid were successful.

***

**_Ap'lek's POV_ **

Casinos during the day were always a ghost town. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to come in broad daylight. Perhaps _they_ would know they were on to them.

Estrid squeezed Ap'lek's arm to reassure him. She had taken care of everything. Yes it was unusual to come in the middle of the day, but it was the safest and was the one that gave them the most advantage.

Estrid was in the business of secret keeping. She sat at luxurious bars all across the galaxy, sipping on fine cocktails, dressed in only the finest clothes. She would sit and listen to the stories and secrets of the elite.... for a price.

For a hefty price, Estrid held the secrets of some of the most powerful men and women in the galaxy. Carrying secrets often times was a burden to bear, Estrid helped ease that burden by having people share those secrets with her. In turn she would keep silent. Only occasionally using her knowledge to help Ap'lek and The Knights.

Estrid looked over her shoulder to see that Vicrul was already stationed at the bar, his arm around one of the the waitresses. She looked ahead of her and saw Kuruk sitting down at a Craps table. Good. Their two boys were in position.

With confidence, Estrid and Ap'lek walked over to the blackjack table. The same blackjack dealer she had seen the night before was there.

"Feeling lucky this afternoon?" The dealer said as they came to the table.

"I don't know... you tell me." Ap'lek said, pushing the silver poker chip towards the dealer.

"It seems fortune favors you. Just a moment." The dealer said, his eyes wide at seeing the chip. Discreetly, the dealer made a motion and two private security guards came over. The dealer handed the chip to one of the guards and they motioned for Estrid and Ap'lek to follow.

They were led out of the main casino floor and down an opulent hallway. At a random spot in the hallway, one of the guards tapped his foot on the tile and a hidden door appeared. He took the chip and scanned it into the door's scanner, and the door opened.

"May fortune be on your side." The security guard said, handing Ap'lek back the chip and motioning for him to enter.

"Thank you." Ap'lek said. Using a trick of the wrist and The Force, Ap'lek hid the chip nearby. Vicrul and Kuruk were just down the hall, secretly watching everything unfold.

Entering though the doorway they were transported to what appeared to be another casino floor. Only this time, it was more private. More exclusive.

High end escorts walked around in their finest gowns. They twirled their hair and ran their fingers over the shoulders of the rich men that played at the various game tables. Looking around, they saw the same floral symbol that was on the chip to be hanging on the wall behind the bar.

"I'll go do my thing. You do yours." Estrid said, leaving Ap'lek to go to the bar.

The whole space just looked like a private club. That was because that's what it simply was. This club had no _direct_ ties to Shadow Watch, but it most likely served as a private meeting place for members.

Ap'lek felt the presence of Vicrul and Kuruk over his shoulder, they had gained entrance to the space.

"Let's do this." Ap'lek said.

**_End Ap'lek's POV._ **   
  
  


***  
  
  


You had little glitzy binoculars held up to your eyes as you were viewing the Farthiers that were being brought out on to the race track.

"That one... I think it says... number 12." You point down.

"It's name is Force Fart." Kylo said with a genuine chuckle looking down at the betting sheet.

"Let's bet on that one." You gleefully said.

"It's chances of winning are low. Not a good bet." Kylo said.

"But Force Fart is such a good name!"

"You bet on whatever you want... I'm going with Lord Hyperspace." He said. You took the betting sheet from his hand and made your notations and he did the same before handing it back to the waiter who was assigned to wait on you.

You sat back down and took Kylo's hand. If it weren't for the super secret mission Ap'lek, Estrid, Vicrul, and Kuruk were on at the moment, this would have actually been a rather pleasant experience. Kylo squeezed your hand and looked around himself. He was constantly checking your surroundings every five minutes.

Word has gotten out that the two of you were here. Everywhere around you, other people were in the stands looking over their shoulders, turning around, and bending sideways just to get a look at the two of you. The two of you were serving well as good distractors.

Aside from the chuckle Kylo just gave you, he looked miserable and stern. You could tell he was super focused, listening into The Force to make sure no danger was heading your way. It made you both nervous that you two were just sitting out in the open.

You heard the music start signaling the beginning of the race. There was a horn blast and the Farthiers were off! It was exciting and thrilling. For a moment you forgot all about why you were there as you cheered on Force Fart. In the end, Kylo was right and the Farthier you chose didn't qualify for the next round of races, but his did.

"Do you want anything to drink?" You asked.

"Just water." Kylo said. You could have called the waiter over to serve you, but you wanted to stretch your legs. You got up and passed two stormtroopers who were guarding the box, one quickly followed you.

The private box opened up to a private bar area which all the other exclusive private boxes shared. There were people milling about. Several of then acknowledged you and bowed to you. You passed Cardo and Ushar who looked like they were just two random guys lounging on the luxury couches, but in reality, their eyes were roaming about the place to ensure security.

You walked up to the bar and alerted the bartender.

"One ice water and one sparking ginger." You said. The bar tender bowed his head and got to work serving you.

"Sparkling ginger? I only ever have that when I'm sick." You heard a voice to your left say. You turned to see a finely dressed gentleman with slicked back brown hair, a somewhat groomed beard, and striking blue eyes. He was wearing an all deep emerald green get up, the green was so deep it was almost black, yet you could see the green sheen in the light. Around his wrists he had gold chains.

"Oh... it's a bit too early in the day for me to start drinking." You lie.

"More of a night cocktail kind of gal?"

"Precisely." You reply.

"There are so many who are excited to see the new Supreme Leader and his Bride here on Canto Bight." The man continued, did he know who you were or was he playing dumb. You really didn't know how to respond to that.

"Yes... a ruckus seems to always happen no matter where we go." You simply reply, he flashed you a smile, showing off his brilliantly white teeth. There was something unsettling about this man, and at the same time... something familiar.

"The name's Dorin." He said, extending his hand to you. You shook his hand and gave him your name.

"How long are you staying in Canto Bight?" He asked.

"Just for the afternoon, we are here for the race." You reply, this Dorin fellow was not letting go of your hand. What the hell was taking the bar tender so long with your drink? You were beginning to get suspicious. Finally, the bartender returned with an unopened can of sparking ginger, a glass of ice, and a glass of ice water. You needed to have your wits about you.

"I'm sorry. Can I have that at a bottle of water?" You asked. The bartender nodded and Dorin roughly dropped your hand. All the bartender had to do was hand you a bottle of water from behind the bar, it took little to no time.

"Thank you." You said, taking the unopened bottle and unopened can, leaving the glass of ice. You noticed a glint of annoyance in Dorin's eyes.

"I don't like my sparkling ginger cold." You say.

"Oh..." He said.

"It was nice chatting with you." You said, turning on your heels and walking away. You caught Cardo's eye and made a motion towards the bar. By the time you got back to your private box... Dorin was gone and Cardo was still looking for him.

"What took so long?" Kylo asked.

"There was a strange man at the bar... he wanted to chat." You honestly say.

"Did he try and hit on you?" Kylo said, immediately shifting in his seat as if to get up.

"No... no... just chat. I don't know, he gave me bad vibes. He got upset when I didn't take the glass of water and ice. I thought that was strange."

"Don't drink the ginger." Kylo said, taking the can from you.

"But..."

"I'm sorry... just hang tight." He said, putting a protective arm around you. You had two more races to watch and you were starting to get hungry and thirsty. Out of nowhere, Ushar appeared next to Kylo.

"We need fresh water and sparkling ginger. I don't trust the bar here." Kylo said.

"On it." Ushar said.

"And snacks!" You whispered loudly.

"And snacks." Kylo confirmed before Ushar walked away.  
  
  


***  
  
  


**_Ap'lek's POV_ **

Ap'lek sat down at a blackjack table. He was a decent player but hadn't played in a while. Across the room Estrid sat sipping on a martini, her eyes scanning the room. Occasionally a club member would come up and try to solicit her, but she quickly made it clear that her services were of a much different kind than the ones they were seeking.

Vicrul and Kuruk each took seats at different tables and started playing their own games, their ears fixed on Ap'lek trying to hear if there was anything of note. Eventually the blackjack dealer looked at Ap'lek and gave him a half smile as he sealed out the cards.

"Is Lord Dorin still here in the city?" The dealer asked.

"I don't give out information freely." Ap'lek said, playing it cool. He had no idea who this Lord Dorin was, but the fact that he was called Lord was interesting.

"Well he must be, since another chip holder from the Shadow Watch is here at my table. Tell me, how does one earn a chip from your group? It always appears to be the most random people that walk through here." The dealer said. Ahhh... so Lord Dorin... he was someone from Shadow Watch, perfect. Ap'lek reached up to his ear and tugged at his earlobe three times, it was the signal to the others that he had a break.

"I've had mine a _long_ time, the rules change over the years. I don't know how the new kids get them." Ap'lek smoothly lied before sipping on his drink.

"So... is it true that Lord Dorin is the real Imperial heir and the girl is just a fake?" The dealer asked.

"You ask a lot of questions for a blackjack dealer." Ap'lek said, the dealer just began to chuckle.

"We operate by different rules here in the Lotus Room. It must be your first time here."

"It is. I've been holding on to my chip for a long time. Waiting to feel lucky." Ap'lek responded.

"And are you feeling lucky today?"

"Perhaps."Ap'lek said as the next game of Blackjack started. For that the two remained silent as they played. For the first time in a long while, Ap'lek won, winning himself a few thousand credits. Pleased with himself, he raised his glass over to Estrid, she raised her glass back.

"A Shadow Watch boy? They're always the fine ones." One of the club escorts said.

"Do many visit the club? It's my first time, we haven't been together long, I know nothing about his affairs... yet." Estrid fained humility and looked sheepishly into her martini glass. If there was anything Estrid was good at, it was coming up with quick lies and back stories to manipulate people into telling her things.

"Oh... lucky you. Shadow Watch... they're only the most dangerous gang here in Canto Bight. Their leader... Lord Dorin... he's one fine ass specimen.... I'd climb him like a tree... and for free too." The escort smirked.

"It's always the dangerous ones. The more dangerous the man... the finer they are." Estrid said, leaning close to the girl.

"Oh my gosh... right?! That new Supreme Leader is one hell of a fine specimen too. You should hear what some of the other girls say about _him._ Is your man dangerous?"

" _Deadly._ " Estrid smirked. She wasn't even going to touch the comment about Kylo, although she found it quite humorous.

"Oh... _do tell."_

"Well.... His weapon of choice is a battle axe. He can spit a Bantha in two with a single swing."

" _Stars..._ lucky you."

"Do you normally take the day shift?" Estrid asked.

"Ugh... yes... I'm new here, I'm on probation. Only the more senior girls get nightshift." She said rolling her eyes.

"Your time will come." Estrid said just as the doors to the club slid open.

"Well speak of the devil." The escort said. Estrid didn't need to be told who just walked though the door. All she had to do was take one look at the man. It was Lord Dorin.

The man was painfully handsome. He was tall, extremely dapper, and had a sinister air about him. He was dressed in a deep emerald green get up that glimmered in the dim lighting of the club. Estrid watched Dorin walk over to two men playing a private game of poker in a secluded booth. He looked displeased and angry. Estrid watched as he waved his arms around, pointing to the door.

"If you'll excuse me." Estrid said, polishing off her martini and walking over to Ap'lek.

 _"We need to go... now."_ Estrid said to Ap'lek in their mother tongue from their home planet. Ap'lek looked up and his eyes immediately landed on Dorin who was still having a fit over in the private booth.

"It was lovely playing today. Thank you." Ap'lek said to the dealer.

"Thank you for your game. It looks like your Lord is here." Ap'lek said.

"Yes... I am to tend to some duties now that he is back." Ap'lek smoothly said, putting his arm around Estrid. They quickly started to make their way towards the door. Vicrul and Kuruk also following them.

They were out of the club and halfway down the hall, walking smoothly and calmly so as not to cause suspicion. The door of the private club slid open and from behind them they heard a clambering of boots coming after them.

"YOU THERE!? STOP!" They heard a stern voice say. Ap'lek turned around and saw that Dorian and his two companions were following them.

"Move." Ap'lek said, pushing Estrid along. As Estrid walked, she started lifted her skirt of her dress to get to the mini blaster she kept strapped to her thigh. This wasn't an entirely new situation for Estrid to be in.

"I said STOP!" The voice said again. Vicrul looked over his shoulder and saw that two of the men were arming themselves with blasters.

Everyone moved all at once. Revealing their concealed weapons. It was unclear who shot first, but soon a firefight broke out in the hall way. They used pillars and nearby furniture for cover as the fight ensued.

Ap'lek tore out his communicator and made a call to Kylo.

"They're here!" Ap'lek said... the sound of blaster fire clear in the background.

**_End Ap'lek POV_ **

**_***_ **

You were leaning over the railing cheering on your Fathier. The race was going to be a close one. They were almost to the finish line.

"We need to go. NOW!" Kylo said, urgency in his voice. You knew it was serious. You let him take you by the arm and lead you out of the box and out towards the exit.

All at once you were surrounded by the other 3 Knights and the 4 stormtroopers. Echoing though the halls you could hear screaming and blaster fire. Something was going down.

It was unclear which exit to take. The first one you took was clearly the wrong one.

From where stood at the top of a grand staircase, you looked down onto the casino floor and saw a firefight ensuing. Ap'lek and Estrid were behind an overturned pool table taking turns firing their weapons. Vicrul and Kuruk was in fist fights with two men.

You looked to see who Ap'lek and Estrid were firing at. It was Dorin.

"That's him! That's the guy from the bar!" You said to Kylo. You felt Ushar and Cardo's hands on you pulling you close to them, Cardo using his body to shield the front of you, Ushar covering your back. There was no other option. You had to make the trek through the main floor of the casino.

The stormtroopers started to engage. The three men were severely outnumbered, but they were skilled. Fighting and firing as if it was like breathing air to them. All at once you heard a scream.

You looked over to where Ap'lek and Estrid were. Estrid was covering Ap'lek's body with her own. He had been shot.

It was like time and space stopped.

The room shook.

You felt a shift in the air.

Kylo's lightsaber ignited.

With the flick of his wrist, Kylo broke the necks of the two other men. The cracking of their spines echoing loud through the space. They fell to the floor with a sickening thud.

Vicrul and Kuruk rushed to Ap'lek and Estrid and began to work on him. You hadn't even noticed, but Kylo was now in the middle of the casino floor, facing off with Dorin.

Dorin started laughing. His sinister chuckle radiating off the walls. The whole time he didn't even acknowledge Kylo... he was just looking at you.

"Surprise!!! Hello... _little sister."_ He said to you.

"YOU'LL BE QUIET!" Kylo said, raising his saber and pointing it at Dorin. At this point, Kylo was completely feral.

  
Cardo and Ushar began to move you. Making your way towards the exit. Your eyes stayed on Dorin.

Dorin.

Dorin Palpatine.

Your brother.

You could see it now. His hair. His eyes. His bone structure. He looked so similar to how your father looked. You were shocked you didn't realize it before.

"Oh... dear brother... two can play at that game." Dorin said.

Dorin revealed a lightsaber of his own. He ignited it. It was a steady, sharp, and piercing beam of red. It was sleeker than Kylo's, and it struck fear into you.

Cardo and Ushar just about picked you up and moved you. You all left the space just as you heard the clashing of blades.

A distress call had been made and the shuttle was right outside the doors of the casino. You tried to look back. You couldn't leave Kylo. You just couldn't. But you had to. What were you going to do?

Stormtroopers were running, exiting the shuttle just as you were being pulled up it. You searched the area. You needed to find Vicrul.

After Kylo and Ap'lek, Vic was the next best fighter.

On the shuttle, medics were working on Ap'lek. He had a severe wound to his left shoulder. Standing against the wall, Estrid stood. Her face blank and void of emotion. Her makeup stained from the tears she had cried.

Finally you found Vicrul.

"Vic... go to Kylo. Help him!" You ordered. Vicrul said nothing more. He now had access to his scythe. Grabbing the weapon he left the shuttle. Trudgen and Kuruk willingly followed him.

You walked over to Estrid and pulled her to you, hugging her tightly. Her eyes never left Ap'lek as the medics worked on him.

You felt the ship fire up and begin it's flight back to _The Valiance._

_***_

**_Kylo's POV_ **

"I see Snoke trained you well." Dorin said. The two men were circling each other. Kylo's saber cackling and spurting, Dorin's radiating a soft hum. 

"I killed Snoke... I'll kill you too." 

"Kill your own Brother In law? For shame! But then again... you did kill your own father." Dorin said. With that, Kylo lunged at Dorin, but Dorin dodged, missing Kylo's blade. 

"Your weapon is crude and archaic. You should be ashamed." Dorin spat. Again, Kylo lunged at Dorin, this time their blades colliding. 

"I should thank you for keeping _my_ throne warm. But no... last I heard you've been fucking my sister... and for that she must die." Dorin said, pushing Kylo back. 

"You don't even know her!" 

"I don't need to... I rather liked being an only child." Dorin said, engaging Kylo in a brief combat of saber blades. Kylo was filled with rage and fear. Dorin was outwardly threatening Y/n, even professing that he wanted to kill her. The rage fueled Kylo to act further. With fiery aggression Kylo fought Dorian. But Dorian proved to be skilled with a lightsaber. 

It had been a _very_ long time since Kylo last had a skilled fight with another. His fight with the scavenger girl in the woods of Starkiller had been only mildly challenging, this... this was a new level. 

Reaching out with The Force, Kylo pushed Dorin, sending his body flying across the room in one direction and his saber in the other. Dorin's body smacked against a stone pillar, yet it did not phase him. Dorin rose, cracked his neck, stretched his shoulders, and raised his hands.

All at once all the pool tables, card tables, slot machines, and any other item of furniture rose into the air. One by one Dorin started flinging them at Kylo. Kylo dodging each one or slicing it in two with his saber. 

Out of nowhere, a potted plant flew across the room and struck Dorin knocking him to the ground. 

Kylo turned and Vicrul, Trudgen, and Kuruk appeared. The three of them were armed with their weapons and ready for a fight. 

Dorin rose to his feet, blood was now dripping from his nose. He wiped it off on the sleeve of his shirt and then assessed his surroundings. 

He raised his hand skyward. Kylo and the knights were anticipating and attack, they all braced themselves. In a flash of bright light and a loud boom... Dorin vanished.

He was gone.

Truly gone.

Kylo had never seen anything like that. He had never seen The Force used in such a manner. How was it possible? He rushed forward towards his Knights, they too were baffled.

"Where is she? Where's Ap'lek?" Kylo asked.

"Enroute to _The Valiance."_ Vicrul answered. Kylo said nothing more... he just left. 

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

***

The shuttle landed in a hangar of _The Valiance._ Immediately the medics worked to get Ap'lek off the ship and to the medley. He was awake and looking around, but he would need surgery to make repairs to his shoulder. 

Estrid held his uninjured hand and walked with the stretcher down the hall. Refusing to leave his side. You didn't want to leave Estrid, but Ushar and Cardo held you back.

"We need to get you to a secure spot." Cardo said.

"Someone needs to be with Estrid." You said.

"Mom's a big girl, she's done this before." Ushar said, referring to Estrid. It was no use protesting, you were being dragged away. As Cardo and Ushar marched you down the halls, you were met by Hux.

"I've deployed several battalions to lock down the city. No one comes, and no one goes." Hux said, now walking with you.

"Thank you, Hux." You said as you waved your hand over the security panel of your rooms. Cardo, Ushar, and Hux followed you inside.

"Are you hurt? The baby..." Hux began.

"I'm fine. Nothing happened to me. I'm worried about Kylo and Ap'lek." You said, your voice and hands shaky. You needed to sit down. You were feeling faint.

"Get her some water." Hux barked an order to Cardo and Ushar. He put his arm around you and led you to the couch, urging you to elevate your feet. He even gingerly took off your shoes for you. You were grateful for his presence. You needed it at the moment. You didn't care who Dorin was to you... Hux was more of a brother to you than anything. 

You rubbed your hand over your stomach to calm your nerves. You felt fine. Everything was fine. you were un harmed, your heart rate was just high and you were a nervous wreck over Kylo and Ap'lek. You could see how nervous Hux was, how fretful he was over you. You reached out and took his hand and put it on your stomach. This seemed to calm him.

"Who was it?"

"His name is Dorin... and he's apparently my brother."

************

**A/N**

**hi guys! how y'all doin? So was that stressful? lemme know! Also, Dorin it to be "played" by Tom Hiddleston.**

**Xoxo,**

**Nia 💋**


	23. The Raid

**Trigger Warning noted in this chapter.**   
  
  


You laid propped up on all your pillows in the middle of your bed. You had long since changed into a comfy pajama and robe set, and now Nurse Cambra and Dr. Petick were fussing over you. You had a blood pressure cuff on one arm and a fetal Doppler on your stomach.

Nothing was wrong; except for Hux being so extra.

It was Hux that called the doctor and nurse to your room. Now you were being all needlessly fussed over.

"Everything looks perfect." Nurse Cambra said with a smile.

"Thank you." You replied to her. It was then that you heard the main doors to your quarters open and Kylo's heavy footsteps enter the space. A wave of relief washed over you.

Kylo entered the space and saw Dr. Petik talking with Hux, and he immediately started to panic.

"I called the doctor out of an abundance of caution. Everything is fine." Hux quickly said.

"Yes Sir, besides slightly elevated blood pressure, which had gone down significantly, Mistress and the little one are just fine." Said the Doctor.

"Thank you. That was a wise call on your part, thank you General." Kylo replied.

"Of course, Sir." Hux responded. Dr. Petick and Nurse Cambra were all finished and took their leave. You saw from the doorway that Hux and Kylo were in deep conversation. You couldn't hear what they were saying, but you could tell it was civil, and serious.

Hux nodded his head and departed. You heard Kylo dismiss Cardo and Ushar. Now the two of you were alone.

Kylo came into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. You extended your arms to him and he leaned forward, burying his face in your chest. He then bend down and kissed your belly before leaning up again to kiss you.

"How's Ap'lek?" You ask.

"He's out of surgery. They had to add bionics to his shoulder. But he will recover." He said.

"Thank the stars!" You said, running your fingers through his hair.

"Dorin got away." He said with disgust in his voice.

"We will find him." You confidently said.

"He's a force user. A _powerful_ force user. I've never seen anything like it. He was able to use The Force to vanish out of thin air."

"We will stop him. I know it."

"When I was a boy... my mother had a garden. One day... rats made a home under the garden. My father tried to lure the rats out with cheese, cookies, crackers... anything. It didn't work. One day, I got the brilliant idea... I was going to pour ship fuel down their hole." He started to say. You brought both your hands to your stomach. Where was he going with this?

"What happened?" You asked. You gazed into his eyes, they were just deep pools of darkness.

"Once I had dumped a whole can of fuel down the hole, I lit a match, and threw that down the hole as well. The whole thing went up in flames, rats scurried out, their fur on fire, and they soon perished. They never returned to my mother's garden. _That_ is what I'm going to do to Shadow Watch."

You soon learned that Kylo and Hux were working together. All of Canto Bight had been shut down. Stormtroopers flooded the streets and casinos. They went door to door, shop to shop, restaurant to restaurant. They searched the sewers and any hole they could find. The whole city was quickly turned upside down, searched until it was stripped bare.

The list of members to the Lotus Club were seized and teams of troopers and officers were sent to round up those members throughout the galaxy. Despite the intense searching, interrogating, and questioning... nothing was found. It was as if Shadow Watch and Dorin truly disappeared.

From your bed, you watched chaos unfold on the holoprojector as Galactic news outlets shared what was happening in Canto Bight. You didn't particularly like what you were seeing at that moment, _maybe_ pregnancy was making you a little more tender hearted, but you knew it had to be done. The First Order hadn't made an official statement as to _why_ this was happening, which you knew could possibly undo all the trust you had worked to build up with the public over the last several months.

You leaned over and reached for your Communicator and called Danka. You told her to get the contact information to all the major Galactic news outlets ready. You were going to make a statement.

Within a matter of hours, Danka had the contacts ready and you had your official statement ready.

**_"This afternoon Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and Mistress Ren were attending a Farthier Race in Canto Bight. During their brief visit to the luxury city, a terrorist organization known as Shadow Watch, made an attempt on the lives of The Supreme Leader and Mistress Ren. This same terrorist group has also been linked to other attacks and security breeches. It was learned that their home base is in Canto Bight. First Order Troops are going door to door in the city in hopes to learn more about this terrorist group. If anyone has any information regarding the group known as Shadow Watch, and their leader, who goes by the name Lord Dorin, you are encouraged to come forward. Acts of loyalty will be rewarded."_ **

It took only twenty minutes after you sent the statement for the news outlets to change their tune as to how they were portraying what was going on in Canto Bight. Perfect. Your statement had worked.

You laid back in bed and stared up at the ceiling. Kylo had gone to check on Ap'lek and Estrid. You found yourself now needed a nap.  
  
  


***  
  
  


You tried to fill your days with your regular duties, but the unsettling knowledge that your own brother wanted you dead constantly nagged at you. It also nagged at Kylo. The stress of it affected you both.

Kylo threw himself into working on finding Shadow Watch and Dorin. There had been a few leads that led to a few hopeful promises, but mostly dead ends. He was a slave to ensuring your safety to the point that he was now neglecting you intimately.

He would _maybe_ come home for dinner, kick off his boots, kiss you, lay his head by your belly, stay like that for a half hour or so, and then just get up and leave again. At night he would return and get into bed with you, pull you close, and then be up and gone well before you woke. It had been like this since the day at the casino. You felt like you were living with a ghost.

You saw Hux, Danka, and The Knights more than you saw your own husband. You tried not to let it bother you, but it was starting to eat at you. You didn't want to complain. You wanted to just be patient and easy going.

You started taking your daily council meetings via hologram since it was getting harder and harder now to hide your belly. You were about fifteen weeks along now. Hux also came to you personally every morning for the daily ship reports.

You had your feet elevated on your desk when he came in, he looked at you surprised to see you barefooted in your office.

"My feet are swollen." You grumbled.

"Well if you didn't wear high heels all the time." He countered.

"Ha ha."

"We are taking a diversion to the outer rim. The Supreme Leader has a lead indicating a Shadow Watch hide out on Geonosis." Hux said.

"How solid is this lead? I don't want it to turn out like last time... we needed to buy a new couch after he sliced through the old one." You said nonchalantly.

"The last raid, the Knights of Ren were able to capture a Shadow Watch member, they've kept him alive and he spilled a ton of information." Hux said.

"Good. Finally." You sighed, bringing your feet down to the floor.

"Other than that, everything else is going smoothly. There are... however... concerns about the Command Ball, which is only three weeks away."

"Let me guess... you want me to cancel it?"

"That would be my suggestion... yes."

"I won't cancel it... Kylo and I may not attend it if there is a security risk... but I worked too hard to put the ball together. It's supposed to be an evening of appreciation towards all those who have worked hard this past year." You sighed.

"High Command and the Officers appreciate the sentiment." Hux said, reaching out to you as you pushed yourself out of your office chair. You weren't _that_ big yet, yet the man was constantly afraid you were going to keel over. He was always so nervous around you.

"I'm going down to the Knight's quarters check on Ap'lek. You can finish briefing me on the way down... has there been any updates on The Resistance?" You ask as you pull a very loose fitting cloak over yourself to cover up more.

"I was just getting to that." Hux said as the two of you exited your office.

"And?" You asked as your heels clicked on the flooring of the main hallway of your ship.

"We received three transmissions... at first we ignored them... but..."

"But?"

"I honestly didn't think it was worthy of our time... but after receiving the third transmission..."

"What did it say?"

"They want to _talk._ "

"Whatever for? They've never wanted to talk before. They just always show up blasting at us." You said, a bit baffled.

"The transmission came from Leia Organa herself., they apparently have had two more minor attacks against them, with Shadow Watch claiming responsibility."

"Have you told The Supreme Leader?"

"No... you're the first person I am mentioning it to."

"What does she want?"

"To _talk_. I have no idea. Specifically... she wants to talk to _you."_

"Me!?"

"Yes."Hux confirmed.

"With everything we have going on right now it could be a trap or a distraction."

"I agree."

"Good, continue to ignore her unless she actually finally says what she wants to talk about."

"Noted." Hux said as you two approached the Knight's Private quarters. It was then that Hux departed from you, leaving you in the care of Vicrul and Ushar.

The Knight's had their own small wing of the ship. They each had their own mini apartments that made up a greater space. You had seen just about all of them.

Cardo and Ushar shared an apartment and they were slobs, there was always boxes of food from the ship cantina, laundry everywhere, and for some reason the severed head of a defunct droid whom they named "Bob". Kuruk kept an impressive collection of plants in his apartment, the plants required an impeccable and precise watering and UV light schedule, which Kuruk kept written down and taped to the wall in his room. Trudgen liked to brew his own Kombucha and collect crystals, he was also into this "new age" type of workout called.... yoga? Vicrul was a minimalist, choosing to sleep on a cot on the floor and only owning one of everything.

Lastly was Ap'lek's apartment.

Estrid had stayed with him in the few weeks after the casino. His place had been sparse before, it had the bare minimum, but it was clean, neat and orderly, and had either dark wood or leather furniture. He was an avid whisky and cigar collector, with dozens upon dozens of crystal bottles of the fine brown liquid, and glass cases filled with collectible rare cigars. Now with Estrid here, she had a few of her own personal items brought over, giving the space a subtle feminine touch.

"He's doing some weight lifting right now." Estrid said when you entered the apartment.

"How's the therapy going?" You asked.

"He seems to think he'll be ready for the Geonosis mission... which is tomorrow." She rolled her eyes. You walked in and in the middle of their living room, Ap'lek was hard at work living weights. His arm was fully recovered, he just needed to get used to the bionic enhancements that had been added.

"I'm fighting fit Love, don't mind what Estrid says." Ap'lek said.

"Your shoulder blade was blown off you ass hat." Estrid said, putting her hand on her hip.

"Was but a scratch. I'm good to go." He said as he huffed while lifting weights.

"Come here, I have something for you." Estrid said to you. You followed her out of the living room and to their bedroom. She rummaged though her drawers and pulled out a mini blaster.

"I want you to have one." She said handing it to you.

"I... I can't take your blaster." You stammer.

"I have at least 15 more. The _wives_ of The Knights of Ren always need to be armed and ready to throw hands if need be. Do you know how to shoot?"

"Yes... Kylo taught me."

"Good. Get yourself a handbag or keep it strapped to you at all times." She said.   
  
  


***  
  
  


You waited up for Kylo to come home. It was half past midnight on the ship when he did and you were exhausted. But you'd be damned it you went to bed another night without seeing or speaking to him.

The soft hue from your nightstand lamp filled the room and you had your datapad propped up with a rerun of a holodrama playing. You heard the blast doors to your quarters open and you heard the sound of Kylo unzipping his boots at the door. You could hear his feet pitter pattering down the hall towards your bedroom.

He looked at you with utter shock to see that you were wide awake and sitting up in bed.

"Why are you still up?" He asked. His face was stern, serious, void of any happy emotion. He had bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess.

"I'm tired of falling asleep alone." You said, clicking off your datapad and putting it on your nightstand.

"You need to sleep." He said as he started stripping himself of his clothes.

"No... _you_ need to sleep. You come home when I'm already passed out, you wake up before I wake up, you come see me only for a half hour every day, you haven't been present for the last two doctor's visits..." You said, your voice getting a bit passionate.

"I'm not in the mood for this right now." He said, raising his hand to caution you.

"Tomorrow you're going to Geonosis?"

"Tomorrow I'm going to Geonosis." He confirmed. You didn't know what to say. You just sat up in the bed watching him huff and puff. He stripped himself bare of his clothes and went to the 'fresher. You heard the shower click on and the shower door open then close.

You flopped back down in bed and rolled onto your side, keeping your back towards the direction where Kylo was going to return from. You felt tears stinging your eyes, a tidal wave of emotion was beginning to creep up on you. One by one, tears dripped down your cheeks and you gave way to silent sniffles. You felt stupid. The logical part of your brain told you that Kylo was the way he was right now because he loved you, but it emotional pregnant part of your brain was feeling abandoned and unloved.

Right now the irrational pregnant part of your brain was winning.

You heard the shower turn off, the door open and close again, and before you knew it, you heard the sound of Kylo's feet approaching the bed. You felt the comforter move and the bed shift as he got in beside you. He went to reach out and pull you close to him, but you jerked away.

"Hey..." He softly said.

"Just go to sleep. You're just going to wake up and leave me again in three hours anyway." You snapped.

"You're angry with me?" He questioned, you could hear a twinge of hurt in his voice.

"Yes. I am." You sternly said, your back still to him.

"You're angry with me because I'm trying to protect you and _our_ child? Is that it? Would you rather me just let Shadow Watch and Dorin come and take you away forever?" He said, anger rising in his voice.

"Of course not!"

"Then what!?"

"I feel like I'm doing this all alone right now! I feel like you don't love me anymore and that I'm just here to keep your bed warm and be a walking incubator!" You said, abruptly trying to roll yourself over while kicking your legs free of the sheets and blankets.

"It's BECAUSE I love you that I'm doing this!" He raised his voice loudly. He had never raised his voice at you like that. You started crying like a blubbering idiot.

"Don't yell at me!" You sobbed. You flopped back over and buried your face in your pillow and just cried.

"You're being irrational right now!"

"I know! And that makes it worse!" You screamed into your pillow. You knew you were crying for no real reason. You knew he still loved you. You knew he was working hard to keep you safe. But that little irrational part of your brain had activated and you were letting it take control.

You heard him huff and puff a few times and toss and turn in the bed next to you. He said nothing more. He didn't even reach out to comfort you like he had in the past. Both of you were stressed, anxious, and exhausted.

"Hey... Come here." He said softly now. You sniffled and pulled your head from your pillow to face him.

"I didn't meant to raise my voice. I'm... I'm just..."

"It's fine. I'm just being an emotional mess right now."

"The lead on Geonisis is a good one. I'm confident we are going to find them tomorrow." He said, wrapping his arm around you and pulling you to him.

"I don't want you to get hurt." You said, burying your face in his chest.

"I won't..."

"You promise?"

"I promise." He said before dipping his head down and kissing you deeply.  
  
  


***

**_Kylo's POV_ **

She was passed out in bed, laying on her side, her hand cupping underneath her belly. In that brief moment he thought about packing it all up, tossing in the towel, giving up, running off with her to some remote planet and telling no one. That would not do. He had to be _certain_ danger was eradicated.

Kylo leaned over and kissed her on her temple before rubbing her belly one more time before leaving. Pulling on his boots at the door, Kylo departed his rooms and made his way down to the Night Buzzard's hangar. Already, the knights were lined up, helmets on, weapons in hand. They were ready.

"Let's go burn some vermin." Kylo said, as he boarded the ship.

"Whooo Rah!" Vicrul chanted.

The Night Buzzard's engines fired up and the menacing ship flew out of it's hangar and jolted into Hypersapce. All seven men could feel it. There was a tension in the air. A fight was going to be had today, and they were thirsty for it. They craved it.

The ship jolted out of hyperspace and Geonosis came into view. The ship was piloted towards the location that they had been told about and they landed on top of a rock formation to keep their cover.

The location was very near to the Petranaki Arena, no doubt where Shadow Watch was hiding. Kylo was confident they had the element of surprise on their side.

They climbed down the large rock they had landed on and made their way towards a cave entrance that would ultimately lead them down into the catacombs that led to the area.

"Keep your wits about you. Constantly scan for life." Ap'lek ordered.

"Are all the Geonosian's really dead? I would hate to come across one of those buggers." Vicrul said. As tough and powerful as Vicrul was, he had a strong aversion towards insect and insect like creatures.

"They were sterilized a long time ago by the Empire. They've all been dead for years. The planet is deserted." Kylo confirmed.

Igniting his saber to light the way, the group descended into the catacombs leading to their destination. With Kylo no longer having a helmet, Cardo and Ushar led the way, their helmets constantly scanning for life. So far the coast was clear.

The air was getting cooler as they descended and there was an odor of dampness hanging in the air. Condensation dripped from the cave ceilings, the drops echoing in the chambers. Eventually, the catacombs opened up leading them to the now defunct droid factory that Geonosis was once famous for.

Tickling the back of his neck, Kylo felt like there were ghosts in this space. Ghosts from someone else's past. He reached out with the Force and voices echoed in his mind.

 _Don't be afraid._ He heard a male voice say.

 _I'm not afraid to die._ _I've been dying a little bit each day since you came back into my life._ A soft female voice said in response.

_I thought that we had decided not to fall in love...._

Kylo shook his mind from the voices. Now wasn't the time for The Force to be playing tricks on him.

"Sir... I'm picking up fresh tracks. Still warm." Trudgen said, his viewfinder on his helmet seating fresh human footprints that still radiated heat.

"They look like normal walking steps, maybe only ten or fifteen minutes old." Kuruk confirmed.

"We follow them." Kylo ordered.

In silence the Knights continued to follow the path of footprints. It was leading closer to the arena. With silence and stealth the Knights continued.

** Trigger warning begins here - Violence **

Soon, out of the darkness, there was a noise. The sound of men talking and laughing.

The Knights each took their place, hiding one way or another in the darkness. In the distance there was a small group of men, Shadow Watch members. They were huddled around a makeshift fire, drinking, taking laughing.

Kylo made a hand signal to Vicrul and Trudgen, and the two knights went forward. The group of men couldn't have possibly seen what fate came for them. They had no time to act, no time to scream, before they could rise from their seats... they were dead.

A neck snapped here.

A head chopped off there.

Entrails becoming extrails.

The dirt of the ground was now moist with their blood.

With that matter out of the way, the Knights continued forward. It was clear they were nearing the main center of whatever camp this was. The air shifted. It felt fresher, more circulated. This indicated movement. A frequency of activity and comings and going's.

They came across two armed gang members who were just out patrolling the catacombs. Hands reached out from the darkness, grabbing their heads, twisting a snap paint.

Again, no sound or scream was heard.

On they continued. Deeper towards their destination. They came across an opening. The hall they stood in opened up and they could see daylight. It was the entrance to the arena.

 _I truly.... deeply... love you... And before we die... I want you to know._ Kylo heard that feminine voice again. It made him feel uneasy. I made him feel nervous. There was something about it. Something that reminded him of Y/N. Being reminded of Y/N spurred him on. It fueled him. Filling him with fire and passion.

This ended TODAY.

The interior of the arena had been made into a camp. It was filled with a hundred or so Shadow Watch members. The Knights were severely out numbered. That didn't matter. They had been up against worse before.

Kylo nodded at Ap'lek. Ap'lek took out his communicator and made a call. Soon they would have areal support from _The Valiance_ and a fleet of TIE Fighters.

Was it was foolish for the six of them to enter the arena?

Yes.

Were they going to do it anyway?

Also yes.

Kylo counted down from twenty. That was the time they needed to ensure the backup was on its way.

5

4

3

2

1

The Knights jumped forward. Weapons wielded. Ready for blood. They totally had the group by surprise. They didn't even know what was about to happen.

They cut through the gang members like one slices through butter. They at first tried to attack and fight back, but it was pointless. They might have been well armed and well funded, but they were no match when it came to a surprise attack from The Knights of Ren.

Soon gang members started to retreat. They ran, screaming and soiling themselves. But Kylo wasn't going to let a single one of them go. No. They all needed to die.

Using The Force, he dragged them back to him, slicing them open. Decapitating them. Dismembering them. Piercing them. Everything and anything that ensured certain death.

The Knights were totally in their element. It had been a while since they had a decent bloodbath like this. As they fought, it was like a dance for them. A dance that they knew well. It was easy too. These low ranking gang members were _nothing_ to them.

"REN!!!" A familiar voice called out. Kylo turned, and low and behold... there was Dorin. Kylo turned and faced the man.

"I've been looking for you." Kylo said.

"I've noticed." Dorin said, the two men circling each other again while carnage reigned down around them. In the distance, TIE Fighters could be heard approaching and _The Valiance_ appeared overhead. Shadow Watch was about to be crushed. Terminated. Decimated. Eradicated.

"Rematch!" Kylo said, pointing his saber at Dorin.

"Gladly." Dorin said, revealing his saber once more. Kylo was ready for Dorin this time, he had been training, he had been meditating, everything. He was ready.

The two men force pushed themselves towards each other and the duel was on. Sabers clashed and sparked. The two red blades screaming and bashing, echoing in the arena.

Out of the sky, TIE fighters flew, their blasts billowing into the arena. Rock and debris flew in to the air. Gang members were crushed and spattered from the assault. Kylo and Dorin's duel still raged on, and The Knights still slaughtered by the dozen.

"THE EMPIRE IS MINE!" Dorin spat.

"THE EMPIRE IS NO MORE!" Kylo raged back. The two fought fiercely, sweat drenching them, their faces red with rage. The Dark Side flowed through both, it fueled both, giving them unimaginable power. In a burst of energy, Kylo pushed Dorin back, sending his body flying across the arena.

"Call it!" Kylo said, turning to Ap'lek.

"Now!?" Ap'lek questioned.

"NOW!" Kylo ordered. A blast from _The Valiance_ would be enough to destroy the arena, and end Shadow Watch and Dorin once and for all. The Knights all knew how to focus their energy and use The Force to survive the blast, a trick they had trained long and hard for.

Ap'lek scrambled to find cover and called in the code to Hux who was watching the battle unfold from the ship.

"Are you certain!?" Hux questioned.

"Trust us!" Ap'lek yelled before clicking off the communicator.

Dorin reappeared and lunged at Kylo. Kylo needed to focus. He knew exactly how long the blasters charged up and how long it would take for a blast to reach the surface. In his head he began counting down, all while focusing on Dorin.

10

The sabers clashed

9

Dorin shot out lightning 

8

Kylo force pushed him across the arena.

7

Their sabers were at each other's again.

6

Kylo force choked Dorin

5

Dorin force choked Kylo back

4

Kylo pushed his saber near Dorin's neck.

3

Dorin Force pushed Kylo back.

2

Dorin lunged at Kylo

1

The whole arena filled with light. The blast from _The Valiance_ came down. Pulling the Force around himself, Kylo, and all the Knights protected their own bodies while the arena crumbed, blew up, and burned around them. Just as quickly as it happened, it quickly died down.

The arena was nothing but a pile of rubble. Silence set in, the Knights pushed themselves out of what little rubble that covered them. They looked around. There was nothing left.

"I want his body FOUND!" Kylo yelled. Kylo couldn't sense Dorin anymore, his presence was gone, vanished. He was either dead or disappeared again. There was only one way to know.

The Knights began to search the rubble. Bodies of Shadow Watch members were pulled from their rocky graves. Soon, stormtroopers joined in on the search. It was of great importance for the body of Dorin to be found. It would be the only confirmation.

Kylo himself searched. Pulling rocks away from other rocks, digging in the sand. He was earnest in his search.

"Master!" Vicrul called out. Kylo went over to where Vicrul and Ushar stood. Sticking out of a pile of rock was a bloodied hand. Grasped in that hand was Dorin's lightsaber, covered in blood.

They began to pull away at the rubble, and out tumbled the severed arm of Dorin Palpatine, still grasping his saber. Yet, the rest of Dorin was nowhere to be found.

"Surely he was blown to bits." Ap'lek said.

"Surely." Kylo said, prying the saber from the cold, dead, bloodied hand.

"Good work Master." Ushar said.

"No... good work to you all. Let's head back to the ship." Kylo said, turning from them.

All at once an immense amount of pressure was lifted off his shoulders. He felt like he could breathe again. He needed to get back to Y/n. He needed to kiss her and hold her. He just needed her...

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

**End Trigger Warning**

***  
  
  


You stood in your office looking out the large window that looked down on to Geonosis. You could see the TIE fighters flying about, you could hear the hum of the ship powering up to send a blast. You held yourself close. You had no idea what Kylo was planning or what was going to happen.

Once again, you had woken up alone, your bed void of his presence. You had been nervous wreck all morning. You told Danka to tend to all your duties for the morning. You stayed in your pajamas all morning, your eyes fixated out the window. Now you were just waiting.

You felt the ship jolt and you saw a burst of laser beam out. Something on the planet's surface below was destroyed. You pressed your hands and face to the window and prayed to anything or anyone that would hear you for Kylo to be ok, for the Knights to be ok as well too. Waiting was agonizing. Your head was hurting and spinning. You weren't coping well with the stress.

You slid down in front of the glass and on to the floor. You were struggling to catch your breath. You're heart was racing, and you were breaking out in a sweat. You had never felt like this before. It was like the walls were closing in around you and you couldn't break free.

The doors to your office opened and Estrid walked in. You turned to look at her. At first she had her usual serene look on her face, but upon seeing you, her face dropped and she rushed to your side.

"What's wrong Love?" She asked.

"I... I..." You tried to speak, you were panicking.

"Shhhh.... It's ok." She said, sitting down on the floor next to you and pulling you close. You just started to cry, immediately feeling relieved to be held by someone.

"The first one is always the hardest, the second one isn't any easier, but with time... it gets better." She said, referring to the anxiety of having one's love possibly facing death.

"How... how do you do it? How are you so calm!?"

"I cried this morning. I always cry when he leaves, but I know I'm strong. We are strong. _You_ are strong. No matter what happens. We get through this." She said, patting your back. You were grateful for her presence, she was always so calming, so comforting. You felt calm and peace again.

A few minutes went by and Estrid's communicator rang. She answered it and sighed. It was a brief call, but then she looked down at you and smiled.

"The boys are fine. All of them. And the mission was successful. Everyone is pleased." She said.

"Oh thank the stars!" You exclaim.

"Now... I'm going to go back to the apartment and wait for Ap'lek, you get yourself showered and prettied up. Kylo will be home shortly." She said to you. You nodded and smiled. She helped you to your feet and you scurried to your living quarters and worked to get yourself somewhat decent for the day.

You showered, dried your hair, put on a little bit of makeup, and selected a flowy emerald green wrap dress to wear. You could barely fit in any of the bras you owned anymore, so you decided not to wear one. Satisfied with how you looked you went back to your office to at least look over some documents for the day.

  
You weren't looking at your work for the day for very long before you got the notification that The Night Buzzard was back in it's hangar. You clicked your datapad off and nervously waited in your chair behind your desk. You were about to be pissed if Kylo didn't come directly to you.

Fortunately for him, he did make his way to see you first.

You had grown antsy so you got up to pace your office. The doors to your office slid open and Kylo walked in. The state he was in left you totally speechless. He was covered in a fine layer of dust, sand, and dirt. He had mud splattered on him, and he was drenched in sweat. Aside from being absolutely filthy, he was unharmed, and for that you were grateful.

The sight of him, filthy and post battle, it turned you on. You felt a rush of heat flow to your core. The smell of the dirt and his sweat filling your senses. It was raw and intoxicating.

"I have something for you." He lowly said. He had a dark look in his eye. The heat of battle had not totally left his system. His heart was still racing and adrenaline and power still flowed through his veins.

"Oh?" You asked. He stepped forward and knelt down on one knee. Out of the folds of his cloak, he took out a silver, rose gold, and yellow gold lightsaber. He bowed his head and extended his hand out towards you. You took the sleek and luxurious weapon from his hand and looked it over.

Kylo was presenting you this token... This gift...This symbol of an enemy defeated; not as the Supreme Leader, but as a noble Knight. A Knight who acted in your service. Once you realized the thought, you decided to let the act play out.

"You have done well... good and faithful one." You crooned. "How ever will I show my gratitude?" You said, looking down at him, flashing him a devilish smile. An evil smirk appeared on his face.

"I can think of a few ways." He said, reaching out and grazing your exposed ankle with his gloved hand. You sharply took a breath in as his hand went up your leg, the leather of his glove gliding against the smooth skin of your calf. He worked his way up, leaning forward until he was eye level with your stomach.

"Get on your desk." He lowly commanded.

"You're filthy." You said as you complied to his demands, stepping backwards until your backside hit the edge of your desk. Placing your hands down on the surface of the desk, you pushed yourself up until you were seated.

"Morally or literally?" He smirked as he scooted forward on his knees.

"Both... but mostly literally right now." You chuckled before licking your thumb and wiping a smudge of mud off his cheek. Kylo leaned back, putting his weight on his heels as he took off his cloak and tossed his gloved to the side. His hands were perfectly clean, saved by his gloves from the carnage he had just caused.

He reached forward and grabbed both of your ankles, parting your legs slightly. He lifted one of your legs and brought his lips to the inside of you ankle. Slowly he started kissing his way upwards.

"Lock the doors."He said, his lips hot against your thigh.

"Say less." You said, reaching backwards and hitting the door lock button on your desk. You two had gone weeks without any sort of intimacy like this. The stress had been too much. You were _extremely_ happy to comply with any and all of his desires at this point. _Stars you were incredibly horny right now._

Kylo continued to kiss you up the insides of your legs, pushing aside the skirt of your dress. He tossed a leg over his shoulder, you could feel the dirt and grit that he was coated with rubbing against your leg. You didn't care one bit. You needed him right now.

"Oh _fuck._ " You moaned out, your whole body was more sensitive than usual. You needed him _bad._

Kylo opened his mouth and bit down on the inside of your thigh, you shot your, sitting up and brought both hands to his head. He grabbed you by the hips and pulled you to the edge of the desk, the skirt of your wrap dress falling completely open, exposing the little pair of lace panties you wore.

You were grateful for the doors being locked. If Danka or anyone walked in at this very moment they would be greeted with the sight of The Supreme Leader on his knees in-between your spread legs while you were perched up on your desk.

Kylo brought his hands up to your panties and tore the delicate fabric right off of your body. The sound of lace ripping echoed through the space. He pulled the fabric away from you and tossed it against the wall. He yanked you further to the edge of your desk, both your legs now over his shoulders. He brought his mouth to your wet, swollen, and needy core. He drank you up, lapped at you, and twirled at your clit with urgency. 

He was devouring you not for your pleasure, but rather, for his own. He was a man who was still obsessed with you. Obsessed with every part of you. It had been weeks since your sweetness coated his tongue and he craved it like a rare candy. 

You were sitting up, your hands in his hair, gripping at his head. You were rolling your hips against his face, moans and sounds of ecstasy leaving your lips. _Stars_ you were so extra sensitive now. You already felt near bursting. 

Kylo broke away from you, licking his lips clean as he started to fuss with his clothes. You reached forward and began to pull him free of his belt and yanked all his various layers away. His cock sprung out and you pushed his pants down past his knees. 

You leaned back on your elbows and spread your legs wide. He gave his dick a few pumps with his hand before angling it at your entrance. In one swift fluid movement he sheathed himself in you, the two of you crying out in pleasure. 

"I... I killed people today." He breathed as he began pumping in and out of you.

"You did." You half moaned.

"Slaughtered them... like vermin... _oh fuck..."_ He said, the pleasure you gave him radiating though him.

"Did they scream.... did they run in terror..?"

"Ye... yes."

"And you ended Shadow Watch... for me."

"For us." Kylo said. It was slightly messed up how you two were talking about the people that had been slaughtered that very day while fucking each other, but stars did it turn you on in a weird and demented way. Kylo leaned forward, his lips crashing onto yours. He kissed you fiercely and passionately.

He was always one to return after a fight or a battle all pumped up and full of testosterone. Being able to return to your sweet embrace, to release everything like this, it was amazing. 

"I love you." He moaned.

"And I love you.... stars I love you so much it hurts." You said, tears stinging your eyes. You tossed your head back as he took your leg and hooked it around his waist so that he was now hitting your deep sweet spot at a new angle. You were going to cum, there was no stopping it. 

It crashed over you, you swore and shook, your body spasmed, you flopped back onto the desk. It shook you violently. It was more powerful now, more enhanced. When your vision came back, you looked up at Kylo's muddied face as he continued to thrust in and out of you. His hair sticking to his forehead. 

The sound of his clothes rustling with each of his movements, his grunts, and the obscene slurping that came from how wet you were flooded the room. Kylo tossed his head back. You watched his Adam's apple bob up and down and his whole body tense as he came, releasing into you. 

Kylo pulled out of you, staggering on his feet, almost losing his balance with his pants around his ankles. Your pussy had a way of sucking the life out of him, leaving him dazed and tranquil. He ran his hands through his hair and then leaned forward, putting his hands on either side of you on the desk. You sat up and wrapped your arms around his neck, bringing your lips to his and kissing him tenderly. 

The two of you sat up and you looked at the insides of your thighs. You had dirt and mud all caked to you now and there was a fine dusting of dirt and pebbles on the desk and your office floor. You let out a soft chuckle seeing the mess that was made. 

After pulling his pants back up, Kylo helped you to your feet. You clenched your thighs together, trying to hobble your way to the door that led to your private quarters. You would need another shower for the day. 

Kylo stopped you for a moment, he put one arm around you and then the other on your stomach. There were really no words to describe just how much he loved you and how relieved he was to have you safe and secure now. 

Surely there would be nothing to stop the two of you now. 

Surely.....

*************

**A/N**

**Hey hey! So... once again I am hoping everyone is still loving the story. I have gotten a few messages from readers telling me how much they love how the story is progressing so far. And even a few suggestions, some of which I have taken or will take in the future.**

**I want to remind everyone what I said at the beginning of our story here... this is going to be darker than "The In Between". I'm sure at some point in the story you all are going to hate me or be angry for one reason on another. I can promise you this... there will be a happy ending!!! We just need to get there first. Please trust the process.**

**Also please remember that as a writer I like to explore topics not frequently explored in other writings. That will be evident soon. Just trust the process.**

**xoxo,**

**Nia 💋**


	24. Presents

You and Kylo stayed in bed late. Really... really late. Late to the point that both of your communicators had been buzzing and beeping nonstop. You were tangled up in bed with each other just replying to messages on your devices, telling all the people that were demanding your presence that you would be late for the day.

They could wait.

 _This..._ time together... couldn't.

With Shadow Watch destroyed and Dorian presumed dead, you could continue on with your plans for The Command Ball and other planetary visits. _The Valiance_ was heading back to Coruscant so that affairs pertaining to the ball and updates on Kylo's ship could be made.

It had been now in total, six months since they started work on The Finalizer to update it into being the new lead ship for the entire fleet. Work was half way done and the ship was even now fully operational, all that remained were odds and ends like painting and updating of certain facilities.

Kylo threw his communicator across the room, it hitting the metal wall at the far end. It was probably broken, but he didn't care, he loathed the thing. You, on the other hand, gently placed your communicator on your nightstand. Rolling over you faced him and he leaned forward and kissed you softly, a far cry from how he just chucked his communicator across the room. He pulled you to him, and you kicked your leg over him and pushed yourself up so that you were sitting up and straddling him while he lay flat on his back.

"Will we stay back in the apartment on Coruscant?" You asked, tangling your fingers in his.

"Yes."

"Might I go to Borgo's and Tyte's?"

"You may." He said with a delicious grin on his face. He brought his hands up to your breasts and fondled them for a moment before bringing them down to your belly.

"Can you feel them yet?" He asked, the palms of his hands pressed against your soft, bare skin. The two of you were both stark naked, having never redressed after your shower the day before.

"I thought I felt something last night... but I can't tell if it was them or gas." You chuckled as you took your hands and moved his hands over to a better spot on your belly where you knew the baby was hiding out.

Kylo got really quiet and tried to focus his energy on the baby. He wanted to see if there was a little force signature. His face was stern as he focused, but he reached out, eventually sensing a little flickering of something. A whisper of a signature. It was faint but it was there. The moment he sensed it he felt what he could only describe as a nudge against his hand.

You gasped.

"Did you do that?" Kylo asked.

"No! I felt that though!" You said, Kylo pressed his hand again and felt one more faint nudge. The little one was saying hello.

"That's fucking wild!" Kylo said, a big grin on his face. The two of you felt a few more flutters before the sensation disappeared again. You went to lean down to kiss Kylo but bending over in the middle was growing harder by the day.

Instead, Kylo got up, keeping your legs wrapped around him, and he kissed you while leaning back on the headboard. He gazed at you, your hair was tousled and voluminous, your skin glowed, and your eyes were wide and glossy. You were positively radiant.

"We should get our day started." You sadly said.

"Yeah..." Kylo begrudgingly said, although he was half tempted to toss you on to your hands and knees again and have his way with you. He had sad eyes as you dismounted him and placed your feet on the floor. You arched your back and stretched your arms and legs before going off to the 'fresher.

***

You watched from your office window as _The Valiance_ entered Coruscant's atmosphere. You were soon touched down on one of the few landing pads large enough for a star destroyer. You could spy The Finalizer docked right next to your ship, and you smiled to yourself. The two ships, side by side, together. Just like you and Kylo.

You planned on joining Kylo for a walk down of his ship with General Pryde. It didn't bother the two of you too much anymore for you to be seen with your belly out. The official announcement was going to take place at the ball at the end of the week anyway. So little hints about it getting out wouldn't be so big of a deal.

You glanced at the clock on the wall and decided to make your way down to the hangar where you would be departing to go over to Kylo's ship. Out in the hallway, Danka met you, a big smile on her face.

"You're extra cheery this morning." You said to Danka as the two of you walked together.

"Oh... Hux asked me to accompany him to the ball!" Danka said with a wide grin and a genuine sparkle in her eye.

"Aw! It's going to be a lot of fun! Lucky you... you'll get to sit at the head table with me and Kylo."

"Really!? That's so exciting. I just need to figure out something to wear."

"I have appointments at Borgo's and Tyte's tomorrow, you'll come with. It'll be my treat." You winked.

"Oh... I possibly couldn't!" Danka said, genuinely humbled and flustered.

"Thats an order Officer." You smiled. The two of you made your way to the hangar where a small group of high command had gathered along with Kylo and the knights. You watched a facial expressions changed to utter shock and surprise as you entered the space. This was the first time you were facing many of these people in person for the past few weeks.

Kylo's back was to you and he was in deep discussion with General Pryde when you approached. You reached out and put your hand on his elbow to tell him you were here. He turned away from Pryde and looked down at you and smiled.

"Good afternoon General." You said to Pryde. Pryde looked you up and down, his eyebrows practically lifted to his hairline.

"Well... isn't _this_ a surprise." He said flatly. You then heard a few other people wish their congratulations and excitement. The people around you were happy, a few even shook Kylo's hand. Everyone was happy, yet... you couldn't read Pryde.

Pryde kept his mouth in a flat line and his expression blank. He said nothing. No congratulations, no words of happiness. Nothing. You found his whole manner to be... odd, and cold towards you.

You shrugged it off. Everyone else was happy, and you didn't know Pryde as well. Perhaps he was just an unemotional man.

The walk down of The Finalizer began. You reviewed the new weapons systems, cannons, blasters, and security features that the updates brought to the ship. You also saw how general public spaces, technology, and controls were updated. It was all rather impressive. The rest of the work that needed to be done was just cosmetic work. As far as Kylo and Pryde were concerned, the ship was fully operational.

"Good work General. You have overseen this project well." Kylo said, shaking the General's hand.

"It was a privilege sir." The General cooly said. During the walk down, you tried to ask a few questions, but it was as if Pryde was ignoring you. This discouraged you. Up until now, people had treated you and Kylo as equals, both of you had equal say and equal respect from others. Perhaps it was because you had never worked with Pryde before, he didn't fully know how to address you.

After the walk down, you and Kylo were taken to the apartment. You sighed when the doors opened to the space. The space that held so many fond memories now of your first few days together. You smiled when you saw that fresh flowers were on the table, a small gift to you from Kylo.

Things were much more pleasant now compared to what they had been a few weeks ago. Kylo was really sucking up to you to make up for the time he spent stealing himself away searching for Shadow Watch and Dorin.

"Why don't you go get comfortable, I'll order us some dinner." He said to you.

"What are you thinking for dinner?" You asked, food recently was always on the forefront of your mind.

"What are you in the mood for?"

"Cheese... anything cheesy... and Porg... or maybe bantha... I don't really know."

"How about Banta Cheese Burgers and fries?"

"Oh, yes please!" You giggled. You watched as Kylo went to fiddle with ordering something on his new communicator and you went off to get undressed and take a bath. You were leaning over the side of the bathtub wearing a silk robe when Kylo came and knocked on the door. You looked up and he had his boots and cloak on.

"I'm going to run out and get the food." He said.

"What? It isn't going to be delivered?" You questioned.

"No. It's a hole in the wall place Ushar told me about, we have to pick it up."

"You can't send one of the Knights?" You pouted, you really didn't want him to leave you.

"I want to get it myself... for us. Like... pretend to be normal for once. Vicrul and Kuruk are right outside the apartment door." Kylo said, his eyebrows all knitted up. He was being genuine.

"Alright, be quick!" You said with a smile. Kylo nodded at you and rushed to the door.  
  
  


**_Kylo's POV_ **

Going out to get the Banta Burgers was a total lie. He could have had them delivered, but there was something he needed to do himself first. Leaving instructions with Vicrul and Kuruk, Kylo hopped in a speeder with Ap'lek and rushed off to his destination.

It was in the luxury part of the city, where only the rich, powerful, and exclusive did their business. Ap'lek pulled the speeder right up in front o the building in question. Kylo looked up at the sign and immediately got nervous.

_Little Bundles Boutique._

"I changed my mind." Kylo said.

"Get the fuck out of the speeder." Ap'lek sternly said.

"I don't know what the fuck I'm doing!" Kylo said. Ap'lek rolled his eyes and parked the speeder before powering it down. The Knight got out of the speeder first and headed towards the doors of the luxury boutique. He turned back to look at Kylo who was still nervously sitting in the speeder.

"Well we don't have all day!" Ap'lek said. Kylo rolled his eyes and jumped out of the speeder, covering his head with his cloak. The two men made their way inside the boutique. A bell on the door announced their presence. The whole space smelled like powder and gardenias. The two men felt totally out of place. Like two bulls in a china shop.

The boutique was filled with baby things. Little clothing items, shoes, toys, accessories. All the baby crap.

A purple skinned female employee of the establishment walked forward to greet them.

"Welcome to Little... Oh! Supreme Leader!" She said, immediately bowing her head.

"I... uhhh... what's your most popular item?" Kylo asked.

"For someone special?" She said with a suspicious smile.

"One of the Knight's of Ren is expecting." Ap'lek chimed in, helping to keep Kylo's cover.

"Oh certainly! Right this way!" The woman said. Taking Kylo and Ap'lek to the back of the store, she showed them "sets" of things. Blanket and outfit sets. All of them very neutral, would work great for a boy or a girl.

"These are what we call _presentation_ sets. Usually what families dress their new bundle of joy in when coming home from the hospital or when showing the baby off to the family for the first time." She said, displaying a few different white lace options.

"I think they'll like that one." Ap'lek said, pointing to a simple, yet elegant lace, linen, and cotton set. Ap'lek knew fully well that Kylo had no idea what he was doing and that he was overwhelmed.

"Yeah... that one." Kylo said.

"Certainly, Sir. I'll have it wrapped up." She said, taking the items away. "We also have a few things we keep for special customers. Things we don't display on the showroom floor. Would you be interested in taking look?" She asked.

"Yes." Kylo said. They followed the woman to a small locked cabinet, she unlocked it and opened it up, revealing dozens of silver, gold, and bejeweled items. There were rattles, pacifiers, cups, combs, brushes, and even baby sized jewelry.

"The rattles are our most popular." She said. Kylo leaned forward and looked carefully at all the tiny objects before pointing at a silver rattle.

"Excellent choice sir." She said, taking the rattle down off the shelf and setting it aside to be wrapped with the others.

"That'll be all." Kylo said. Part of him was eagerly excited and the other part of him was hopelessly nervous. The two men watched as the woman wrapped up the items in a fine box, wrapping paper, and bag. Kylo paid for the items, which were shockingly expensive for such tiny things, and then made Ap'lek carry the bag out of the store.

"Now was that so hard?" Ap'lek said.

"I'm ordering off the Galactic Web next time." Kylo huffed.

"Yeah yeah... whatever. Where to next?"

"Brightons." Kylo ordered. Ap'lek fired up the speeder and sped off to their next stop. Brightons Jewelry store.

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

You felt refreshed and totally relaxed after your bath. You dressed yourself in one of your nicer pajama sets, put on your slippers, and sat down with a cup of tea to watch a holodrama on the projector. It had been at least two hours since Kylo left and you were wondering what was taking him so long.

You perked up a bit when you heard the door to the apartment open and heard Kylo unzipping his boots. When he appeared in the living area he was carrying with him only a brown paper bag that had grease stains all over it.

Your burgers.

Your stomach instantly growled and your mouth watered. If you had no self control, you would eat seven of those burgers by yourself.

"Sorry... there was a line." Kylo smirked.

"A line... for The Supreme Leader?" You scoffed as he handed you the brown bag and sat down next to you on the couch. You reached inside expecting to feel soft foiled up buns, but instead your hand settled on a hard little box. You pulled the little black box out of the bag and looked at it with confusion.

"Open it." He said, he had a lustful look in his eyes and a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. You lifted the lid of the black box and all the breath you had in your lugs left your body.

It was a ring.

It wasn't a plain ring, no, it was a brilliant ring. Set at the center was a large oval aquamarine diamond, and around it were little diamond shaped white diamonds, making the whole setting look like a starburst. You were in utter awe.

"I wanted you to have something special. Something to always wear. From me to you." He said, taking the box out of your hand, removing the ring, and placing it on the ring finger of your left hand.

"It's beautiful!" You sighed, moving your hand around to see how the gem caught the light.

"Do you like it?" He softly asked.

"I _love it._ Thank you so much!" You said, leaning towards him and wrapping your arms around his neck. You kissed him all over his face to show your appreciation. After a while, however, the smell of those burgers were calling your name.

The two of you broke away and picked out your burgers and ate comfortably while watching the holoprojector. You nibbled on leftover fries as you two cuddled up and the sun had long since went down.

The holodrama you were watching was a bit dull, so you took to staring at the ring again with a big smile on your face. Kylo looked down and saw you gazing at it and it warmed his chest. He had had Ap'lek hide the other things and was planning on giving them to you after the ball.

"You really like it?" he softly asked you.

"I _adore_ it, Kylo, thank you. I love you." You said, sitting up a bit more and leaning forward to kiss him. You truly did adore it. It was a total shock and surprise to you, you hadn't been expecting anything like this at all.

You deepened the kiss, trailing your tongue on Kylo's bottom lip, seeking entrance to his mouth. You pushed your fingers through his hair and explored the toned peaks and valleys of his muscles with your hands. You were so exememly appreciative, you wanted to show it.

Your mouth left his and you began to kiss and suckle at his neck, all while working your hands down, tugging and pulling at his shirt. Your fingers made quick work of his belt buckle and his pants zipper before you shoved your hand down, cupping and fondling his cock and balls. The whole time he wiggled with anticipation and moaned into your mouth as you kissed him.

You broke away from him and slid off the couch and onto your knees. Taking a hair tie out of the pocket of your silk robe you tied your hair back while Kylo giddishly pushed down his pants, releasing his length.

"Take off our top." Kylo lowly said. You complied, pushing your robe off your shoulders and pulling the top of your pajamas off over your heard so that your tits were perky and bouncing for him. You shivered feeling the cooler air harden your nipples.

Leaning forward on your knees, you reached for his dick, firmly grasping it in your left hand. Kylo looked down at you, his mouth slack and his eyes wide. The ring on your finger glimmered in the light as it moved up and down his cock.

He had thought about how great it would look on your hand. What he didn't expect was to see how great it looked on you with your hand around his dick. He locked eyes with you as you angled the tip of his dick towards your lips. Your tongue darted out and lapped up the bead of precum that had leaked out. He tossed his had back and loudly moaned.

Before he could look back down at you, you had sucked him into your mouth, your hands and mouth working together, sending shockwaves of pleasure through his body. You _loved_ to be able to make him crumble. To be able to leave _him_ a blubbering mess.

His hands found your head and he gripped at your hair. He tossed his head back and let out a guttural moan that echoed though the space. Spit dripped down your hands and on to the couch, but you didn't care, you _loved_ this. You could see how hard his abs were clenched that he was close, how his breathing was erratic and how he was trying his hardest not to buck himself into your throat.

Kylo shot up and using The Force he nudged you back, freezing you in place. Your back arched and your tits pointed out at him. He took himself in hand and jerked himself, releasing cries and moans into the air until ribbons of his hot cum shot out, covering your chest and décolleté.

Releasing you from a light Force hold, you looked down at yourself to see cum dripping off the points of your nipples. The bath you took earlier was now entirely ruined.

"I thought you'd like a pearl necklace to go with that ring." He chuckled as he tucked himself away.

"Gee... thanks." You said as you took your pajama top and wiped yourself off. Kylo sat back down and proudly watched you clean up. You tossed your now soiled pajama top to the side and used his legs to help push you back up to your feet.

He brought his hands to your hips and pushed your pajama bottoms down until they were pooled around your ankles. Taking your hips again he nudged you until you were turned around and then he pulled you down until you were sitting in his lap. His hands explored the curvatures of your body. They went up and down your legs, all around your belly, and up to your slightly sticky tits and lastly your neck.

Kylo brought his mouth to your neck and began to leave a trail of hot kisses up and down the side. With one hand he took your breast and massaged it while the other dipped down into your panties. You rested your hands on his thighs, the tips of your fingers digging into the fabric of his pants. You gasped when his fingers parted your folds and rubbed through your wetness. You arched your back with his index and middle finger found your hard swollen numb and began their circular pace around it.

As he swirled and rubbed at your clit, he nibbled on your earlobe. You couldn't help but give out a half giggle half moan as the sensations started to over take you. You spread your legs wide, reverse straddling him, and rubbed your ass into his crotch, all while he never let up his pace with his fingers.

He kept you pressed close to him. His mouth on your neck and shoulder, his hand against your breast, and his fingers bringing you closer and closer to your climax by the second. You tossed your head back, uttering words neither of you could understand. Your orgasm overtook you, your legs tenses, your body shook, your pussy clenched, and for a moment you couldn't breathe.

You gasped for air as you road out your wave of euphoria and you pulled Kylo's hand out of your panties. He brought his hand up to his mouth and licked his fingers clean of your juices before wrapping that arm around to you hold you close. He kissed you over your back and shoulders before gently laying you down on the other side of the couch.

He crawled up over you and kissed you before nudging you to the side so he could lay down behind you on the couch. Spooning you tightly to him.

"Hmmm... I love you." You sighed.

"I love you too." He said, kissing you softly again on your neck. You needed a good while to recover after such a powerful orgasm. The entire time, Kylo held you close, rubbing your belly and occasionally kissing you as the two of you half heartedly watched the holodrama again.

In the end though, Kylo needed to carry you to the 'fresher to help you clean up since your legs were determined to stay wobbly for the rest of the night.   
  
  


***

**_Leia's POV_ **

Hidden away in yet another hidden bunker, Leia Organa stared up at the night sky. She gripped at her cane and cursed to herself.

They were ignoring her.

She had sent message after message and yet they were still ignoring her.

Shadow Watch was _not_ defeated. Shadow Watch was still very much alive and powerful, and they were still testing Leia and her forces.

Leia knew in her heart that her son and the girl were in significant danger. She knew it in her very bones. She was trying to warn them, she was trying to tell them. Things were bigger than both parties originally thought. There was a great possibility that Shadow Watch was now the new threat tot he galaxy. A threat so great that Leia was considering joining forces with her son to defeat it.

That very morning, Shadow Watch left their calling card again. It was little things now.

The severed head of an animal speared with a spike.

X-Wings that were tampered with in the dead of knight.

Graffiti on the walls.

Every morning they woke up to something new. Something unsettling.

Leia felt a shift behind her. She turned and saw Rey standing in the doorway.

"You wanted to see me General?" Rey asked. Leia looked at the young scavenger girl who's eyes were bright like a Sun. Her shoulder had healed nicely, all that was left was a pink scar in it's place.

"Yes... please... sit." Leia said, motioning for Rey to sit down next to her.

"Is everything ok?" Rey asked.

"What do you remember about your parents? Have you been meditating on them like I asked?" Leia asked.

"Yes. I've had flashes of memories here and there, but they are clouded. I remembered that they were fiercely protective of me, I was never allowed to go anywhere or do antything without them. That we had no real home, we traveled constantly. That they were sad and very, very scared. And lastly... That they loved me. I just don't understand why they would leave me on Jakku." Rey said.

"Do you remember what they look like?" Leia asked.

"Yes. Those memories came back to me."

"Do you mind if I take a look?" Leia asked.

"Why?"

"Just... trust me." Leia said. Rey nodded and closed her eyes, clearing her mind of any blocks she had up. Leia raised her hand and began to focus, she prodded into Rey's memories, sorting through this and that until...

Until she came upon the face of Mance Palpatine.....

**_End Leia's POV_ **   
  
  


**************

**A/N**

**Yeahhhhhh so some of you guessed it early on! Idk if I should feel bad that you could guess it so early or if that's a sign of good writing. Was I too predictable? Idk**

**We still have so much to cover and so much to get through with this story.**

**I would like to note that this is probably going to be one of the last "happier" chapters for a while. Remember I said things will get darker and you might hate me? Yeah so just prep for that.**

**Also how are we feeling about Daddy Kylo? Do we like him? Lemme Know.**

**Any who, I am honestly taking my time with these next few chapters as they will be important and pivotal and I want to do them justice. So forgive me if it takes a while to upload. I wasn't entirely happy with this chapter, but it's just one of those fillers that adds to the overall story.**

**I hope you all have a great week and if you're in the North East area of the USA, please stay safe with tomorrow's snow storm!!!**

**xoxo,**

**Nia** 💋


	25. The Ball

You felt Kylo wake you from a blissful sleep. It started with him kissing your shoulders, your neck, pulling you tightly to him, rubbing your belly, then kissing your belly, before he whispered to you. Your eyes fluttered open and your face immediately melted into a smile. The Coruscant sun was shining through the windows of the bedroom, filling the space with a warm aura.

"Good morning." You said, reaching out and running your hand though his long hair, and cupping the side of his face. He turned his head and pressed his lips into your palm.

"Good morning." He replied, his voice deep and husky from sleep.

"How did you sleep?"

"Fantastic, you?"

"Good... I'm hungry." You grinned.

"What else is new?" He chuckled before kicking the blankets off of himself and getting up. You sat up and yawned, stretching your arms up over your head before rubbing your belly.

"Good morning." You softly said in a baby voice down to your tummy. You giggled when you felt a slight nudge from the inside. You swung your feet off over the edge of the bed and hobbled your way to the 'fresher.

When you came out, Kylo had a mug of tea and a snack bar for you. You sat back down in bed and sipped on your tea between nibbles of the snack bar.

"You have an appointment at Borgo's and Tyte's today?" Kylo asked.

"Yes, and I'm taking Danka with me. I'm going to treat her."

"Whatever for?"

"Hux asked her to go with him to the ball. She needs a dress."

"Which of of the Knights do you want to accompany you?"

"Same as before, they were a lot of fun the last time."

"Ap'lek, Vicrul, Cardo, and Ushar?" He asked.

"Yup."

"Your wish is my command." He said, leaning in towards you and smiling into a kiss.  
  
  


***  
  
  


As you approached the exit of the apartment building, you peered through the glass doors and saw Cardo and Ushar, dressed entirely in black, facing each other, and jumping up and down in place. For what reason... you had no idea.

"I hope you drank enough coffee for the two of us, I can already tell today will be an eventful day." You said to Danka as you exited the building. At first, Danka had no idea what you were talking about , but then she caught sight of Cardo and Ushar and she immediately knew.

"What are you doing?" You said to the two guys who immediately stopped their shenanigans upon seeing you.

"Honestly I have no fucking clue." Ushar said.

"None..." Cardo replied.

"Vicrul started jumping up and down, and then they started jumping, and then Vicrul walked away. Monkey see... Monkey do." Ap'lek said. You just rolled your eyes and ducked your head as you got into the transport. You slid into the back bench seat and Danka slid right beside you. Up front Vicrul was already seated in the pilot's chair.

"Do Ushar and Cardo share a signal brain cell?" Danka quipped. Danka could be snarky from time to time.

"Yes." Vicrul said as Ap'lek and Cardo loaded up into the back with you and Ushar got up front with Vicrul.

The transport powered up and you flew off into the city. Easing though the city it was only a quick thirty minute ride to Borgo's. Things commenced much as they had the first time you visited. This time you were only visiting for your hair. You wanted a nice trim just to spruce things up a bit before the ball which was to be in two day's time.

You told Danka she could get whatever she felt like. She was nervous at first, but eventually settled on a haircut and a massage in the spa. You were glad she chose the massage, she deserved it.

You and Danka not only worked well together professionally, but you also had become good friends. You spent so much time together, it was natural that lines would occasionally be blurred and the two of you would get comfortable with each other. You both had a fondness for certain Holodramas (no surprise there) and Danka had gotten you into music. She was the one that suggested you two listen to music while you worked in your office.

Coruscant was Danka's home planet. She was the only child of two Imperial medical officers. She put herself though Imperial Academy, and joined the First Order Navy as soon as she could. She was an extremely hard worker, but she also was a lot of fun to be around. She knew when to be serious, but she also knew when to have fun.

You were glad that Hux had a new found fondness for her, even though he moved at a snails pace about it. It had been _weeks_ since Naboo and their first "date", and it was only _recently_ that Hux got up the nerve to kiss her.

"So... it was during change of shift. I went up to report in for you on the bridge like I've been doing. Hux offered to walk me back to my rooms for the evening, and I accepted." Danka began. The two of you were sitting side by side both having your hair done at the same time.

"And....!?" You said, on the edge of your seat wanting to know every little detail.

"When we were in the elevator... it was just he and I... and... well... first, he held my hand."

"And then what!?" This was the juiciest story you've heard since the time Kuruk got drunk and stumbled into yours and Kylo's quarters and had a rant session on the couch telling the two of you that he was secretly in love with Vicrul's sister.

"And we just looked at each other. It was like the elevator was moving in slow motion. We just stared at each other for a good while. It happened so quickly. He had both his hands on my face and he pushed me up against the elevator wall and just kissed me!"

"No way!" You gasped.

"Yes!!! It was all over too quick! I was so upset, the elevator stopped and the doors started to open and there was a group of troopers outside the door. Hux looked mortified, and my hair was all messed up and my lipstick smeared!"

"Oh stars, I can picture it now. Did he still walk you back to your room?"

"He did... Danka said with a slight blush... He kissed me again. Much more proper and reserved that time, and then he asked if I would accompany him to the Ball as his date!"

"So this _just_ happened?"

"Yes!"

"That is sooooo cute!" You giggled. You were happy for Hux and Danka, truly. You thought they were a good match for each other and would balance each other out. You sincerely hoped it all worked out in the end.

After Borgo's, you and Danka left to head to Tyte's. Just like last time Ap'lek had stayed in the salon while Cardo, Ushar, and Vicrul patrolled outside.

"So... what's the beauty parlor gossip... what's the tea?" Vicrul teased. You and Danka just stayed silent.

"Dinks and Ginger are a thing. Did you all know that, because I sure as hell didn't." Ap'lek piped up. You kicked Ap'lek for that while Danka nervously laughed.

"Shut the fuck up." Vicrul said, turning in his seat in the transport to look at Danka.

"Pasty boy and Dinks?" Cardo questioned.

"Yes... now mind flying the transport!" Danka said.

"Why do they call you Dinks?" You asked, it was the fist time you had noticed the Knight had a pet name for her.

"When Trudgen first met Danka it was after a weapons inspection. He wasn't wearing ear protection, so he couldn't hear a damn thing. So he went around for a whole week thinking her name was Dinks, and it stuck." Vicrul explained, you chucked at the story.

"Who wants lunch!?" Ushar asked.

"Me!!!! Let's get those pita wraps!" You shouted, genuinely excited. You had been dreaming of those pita wraps all day.

"Say no more." Vicrul said, jerking the transport around to head to the pita shop. Lunch happened the same way it happened the first time, except this time you asked for two pita wraps instead of one, with _extra_ sauce.

"Don't forget Ap'lek doesn't like onions!!!!" You shouted out the transport door when Ushar got out to order the food.

When Ushar returned with his arms loaded with pita wraps, you tore into yours as if you had been deprived of food your whole life. The sauce did taste better this time for some reason, perhaps you had just been craving it. You did a little happy dance as you took bites out of the wrap.

"You're really going to eat _both_ of those? I can barely eat one." Cardo said.

"Yup." You shamelessly said as sauce dribbled down your chin.

"She's eating for two. Cut her some slack." Ap'lek said as he tossed you a pile of napkins. You finished your first pita and then got on to your second. You _might_ have over estimated yourself, because half way though the second pita, you were full and suddenly disinterested in it anymore. You wrapped it up, swearing you'd finished it later.

The transport pulled to the back of Tyte's this time, to their back entrance. You cleaned up from eating and got out, quickly followed by Danka and The Knights. Mondo was there once again to greet you and shower you with compliments and praises as he ushered you through the private entrance and to your private shopping room

"Now... this is Danka, she is my assistant and she'll be attending the ball for the very first time. She needs a spectacular dress to wear." You told Mondo.

"Oh darling, you came to the right place, Mondo will have you both looking spectacular." Mondo said, clapping his hands together. You giggled with excitement and so did Danka.

You looked over your shoulder to where The Knights were standing looking totally disinterested. In fact Cardo was lifting up the skirt of a mannequin, while Vicrul almost backed into a hat display.

"What are you four wearing to the ball?" You asked them.

"Clothes."

"Pants."

"A shirt maybe." They replied. You just rolled your eyes and crossed your arms over your chest.

"Go get yourselves suits or something." You quipped. You didn't need to say anything else, they each went their separate directions in their half assed attempts to find the men's department. Only Ap'lek stayed to keep guard over you and Danka.

"You don't need a suit?" You asked Ap'lek as one of the many personal assistants that Mondo kept came over to you to show you some new items of clothing they had in stock.

"Estrid buys them." He said. Of course, Estrid would take care of Ap'lek like that. You turned back to one of the assistants and pulled out a gold gown and held it up.

"What do you think of this?" You asked Danka.

"I think you'd look great!"

"No... not for me! For you!" You laughed. Right now you wanted to let Danka get the Tyte's treatment. She blushed and stepped forward to feel the fine fabric of the dress.

"Oh... I don't know... it's a bit much." She humbly said.

"Nonsense. You'll be sitting at the head table on the arm of a high ranking General. You have to look your best." You, Danka, and the assistants went through racks and racks of dresses trying to settle on some thing for Danka. It wasn't that Danka was indecisive, it was rather that she was feeling a bit shy and undeserving at the moment.

You finally got her into a dress the two of you liked. She stood on the pedestal in the middle of the room and gazed at herself in the mirror.

"I don't think I've ever worn anything this nice." She sighed.

"Well!? Do you like it?" You asked. You had to admit that Danka looked strikingly beautiful and radiant in the gown. It was a champagne colored gown with a V neckline and spaghetti straps. It also had a high slit up the side showing off Danka's left leg. It was simple, yet classic.

"I _really, really_ like it." She smiled. You could tell that one was going to be _the_ one.

**Danka's Dress**   
  
  


"Then it's yours!" You said.

"Really!?" She asked with excitement.

"Yes! I said today was going to be my treat!"

"Oh thank you so much!!" She said. With a dress for Danka now secure, it was time for you to pick out something for yourself. You had already told Mondo what you were looking for, and he had gone out onto the main showroom floor to pull a few dresses.

When Mondo returned, he had his arms filled with dozens of dresses in various shades of purple. For some reason you were feeling the color purple and wanted to wear it to the ball. One by one you went through the rack of clothes trying to pick out the perfect dress.

You narrowed your options down to six and then tried the six on. Most of them didn't fit you well and would need tailoring since they weren't maternity gowns, rather just gowns in larger sizes. One gown stood out to you the most.

It was a dark royal purple and made of the silkiest smooth satin. It had an off the shoulder neckline and long sleeves, and the fabric seemed to shimmer in the light. Mondo fussed that it was rather simple, but that was why you liked it to begin with. It was all one solid color. No jewels or buttons, no feathers or frills, just inky smooth satin.

With the announcement you fully intended to make the night of the ball, you really didn't need a gown that was going to make a big statement. You ducked into one of the changing rooms and undressed before stepping into the gown. Back out standing on the pedestal, you looked at your self in the mirror. You _loved_ it.

It was perfect and ideal, and just the thing you were looking for. You turned around a few times to check the back of the dress. Already it fit well and would just need a few tweaks here and there.

"This one. I really like this one." You smiled.

"Are you certain you don't want one with the crystals on it?" Mondo asked.

"I'm positive." You said as you ran your hands over the soft satin of the dress.

"Well... that's it then! I'll have it sent to the tailoring department and then to your residence the morning of the ball." Mondo said.

With everything all settled you sent Ap'lek to search for the other guys. When they returned they were carrying with them bags of things they had purchased for themselves. Vicrul was even looking down at his hand and smiling dumbly.

"What do you have there?" You asked him.

"The girl at the perfume counter gave me her number." He said with a big grin. For the umpteenth time that day, you just rolled your eyes before you loaded yourself up into the transport.  
  
  


***  
  
  


The day of the ball had finally arrived. You were nervous, excited, and eager to see everything you had planned and dreamed up come to life for the night. You got up before Kylo did and went with Danka to do a walk down of the facility where the ball was to be held.

After your day out and about at the salon and shopping with Danka, the two days that followed were filled with nothing but errands and last minute meetings surrounding the Ball. So many last minute details needed to be addressed or reassessed. You were beginning to wonder if all this hard work was going to be worth it.

Your eyes were wide with excitement as you looked at all the floral decorations that had been prepared and the lighting that had been installed. The Ball was being held in one of Coruscant's most luxury hotels. No expense had been spared.

The night was to be filled with good food, music, and dancing. In the past, the balls weren't anything to be excited over. Rather, they just consisted of a bland meal, followed with a bunch of meaningless speeches. There was no fun, no excitement. You strongly felt that those who served The First Order faithfully should be rewarded with a luxurious night out.

The massive banquet hall of the hotel looked like a total dream. You had selected white roses, pink peonies, orchids, and Lilly of the Valley as the main flowers. Their scent filling the room with their luxurious aroma.

You broke away from the tradition of just having everything decorated with First Order bunting and nothing else, you instead went with the colors of blush, gold, and white. You had the First Order insignia embossed on the napkins that were on the table, and the logo was present in subtle ways throughout the room.

The entire place looked like a fairytale.

You and Danka went over last minute details before heading back to the apartment to get ready for the evening. You had all the intentions to enjoy the evening with Kylo. Perhaps you would even convince him to dance with you.

Mondo and two stylists from Borgo's were up in the apartment waiting for you when you arrived back. You frowned when you noticed that Kylo wasn't at home at all, he must have already left to go get ready with The Knights.

"Oh darling, don't look so sad, I sent him off with his new suit and you're just going to _die_ when you see him. The Supreme Leader will be looking like a Supreme _Snack,_ if you ask me." Mondo said, taking your hands and pulling you towards your room where everything had been set up. You laughed and got settled in a salon style chair in your room as the two hair stylists got to work on your hair and makeup.

The whole time Mondo had you in near stitches as he entertained you with various stories from his many years working as a private stylist to the rich and elite. The time went by quickly and before you knew it, your hair was all done up, your face flawless, and it was time to step into your new gown.

Mondo helped you into it and zipped it up the back for you. Once you were all zipped in you turned around and looked at yourself in that big mirror of yours in your closet.

You looked smoking hot. Pregnant belly and everything.

  
There was something about you now. Perhaps it was the way your skin glowed, how extra plump and perky your breasts had gotten, or maybe it was your hair. Whatever it was, you looked amazing.

"You will be breaking necks my dear." Mondo said as he fluffed out the skirt of your dress so that it laid just right. You glanced up at the clock on the wall, you hadn't realized how late it had gotten. The sun had already started to set and you needed to start making your way to the hotel.

Mondo helped you slip into your shoes since you couldn't bend over yourself to buckle the heels on. With one final look in the mirror, you started making your way towards the apartment door. To your utter surprise, the door open and Kylo stepped inside. You immediately felt weak in the knees.

Mondo wasn't exaggerating when he said that Kylo would be looking like a whole _snack._

Your jaw dropped when you saw him and his jaw dropped when he saw you.

"Heeeeey." You said, your voice a little too high-pitched than usual.

"Damn..." He lowly said, sliding his hands in to his pockets while shamelessly looking you up and down. His suit was tailored perfectly. It was an all black number with a velvet black jacket. He wasn't wearing a neck tie or anything, instead he had the silk shirt he wore underneath unbuttoned slightly. Around his waist he still wore a belt, attached to which he kept his lightsaber, and his pants.... _fuck_... his pants... they were tight, but not excessively tight, but they were just right.

He took three large strides towards your and his hand found the small of your back. Pulling you towards him his lips found yours and he was kissing you dizzy. The skin of his chin and upper lip were baby smooth and you could smell fresh aftershave on him. You brought your hands up to his hair and you could feel that it actually had product in it for once.

"Did you go get your hair done?" You asked, breaking away from the kiss.

"Yeah... Ap'lek has a barber and cigar guy." Kylo said, smiling as he tried to continue to kiss you.

"Hey, hey, hey! The lipgloss, we can't ruin the lip gloss!" You heard Mondo say from down the hall. You busted out laughing as he rushed over handing you your tube of lipgloss and started fussing over your slightly smudged lips.

Kylo put his hands back in his pockets, rolled his eyes, and audibly huffed in annoyance. Mondo fussed over you for a few more moments before you put your hands up telling him you were fine. With that, Kylo put an arm around you and led you from the apartment.

The two of you entered the elevator that was to take you to the level your transport was waiting at. The elevator only moved slightly before Kylo's fist jetted out and he punched the emergency stop button. It all happened in a flash, and the next thing you knew, you were being pressed up against the elevator wall and he had both hands on your tits and his mouth all over your neck.

You had your mouth hanging open wide and little audible gasps and whimpers were leaving your lips. He was leaving hot tickling kisses all up and down your neck and at the tops of your breasts. One of his hands went down to your hip and started to pull up the fabric of your dress. He lifted it up enough until his hand could find the bare flesh of your thigh. He pushed apart your legs with his and pressed his thigh into your center.

" _Fuuuck...._ Ky... we have to go." You whimpered.

"No."

"Yes."

"Dammit." He said, pulling away from you. The two of you worked to put yourselves back together. Your chest was now flushed red, but that didn't matter, it would go away by the time you arrived to the hotel. You fluffed out the skirt of your dress to make sure it wouldn't wrinkle, and then you nodded to Kylo telling him to start the elevator again. He grumbled before pressing the button restarting the elevator again.

In the lobby of the apartment building, the Knights had gathered. They each looked dapper themselves, all in some sort of black suit or another. You spotted Estrid who was wearing a maroon colored gown with her hair swept up into an elegant style. You even spotted who you assumed to be Nilly, hanging on to Trudgen's arm.

"You must be Nilly!" You said eagerly waking up to her. Nilly was so very pretty. She had these big wide brown eyes, caramel colored skin, freckles, and her long dark hair was braided into box braids. You saw that on her hands and wrists she had these intricate tattoos.

"Yes! that's me!" She giggled.

"It's so nice to finally meet you!" You said reaching out to hug her.

"Likewise!" She smiled, hugging you back.

"Come on, you said we had to go." Kylo said to you with a devilish smirk. You rolled your eyes and followed him out to the transport. It was a much larger transport, big enough to carry all of you. It was a little bit of a tight squeeze but you were all able to fit. 

"You just touched my ass!" Vicrul said.

"No I didn't that was Ushar." Cardo said.

"And I'll touch it again!" Ushar said.

"Alright!" Kylo shouted. The transport started to move, making it's way towards the hotel. Kylo reached out and took your hand, squeezing it.

"Listen, I know this is all unusual for us. You guys never got to attend a ball before, but listen up." Kylo began. "Y/N worked really hard to make this something special for us and for the First Order, if anyone of you fuckers mess it up, I will gut you. So that means no getting drunk... no lifting up the skirts of the waitresses... and..."

"But can we hit on the waitresses?" Vicrul asked.

"And what do you classify as _drunk?"_ Cardo asked. Kylo loudly groaned and rubbed his hand over his face and though his hair.

"Just don't make a scene. And remember you're still there to serve as security and protection. And I _know_ for a fact some of you are going to come face to face with admirals and officers who've had issues in the past. So... no fighting." He said, pointing to Ushar.

"No fighting." He said pointing to Cardo.

"No fucking fighting." He said pointing to Vicrul, he then pointed to Ap'lek, but really didn't need to tell Ap'lek not to fight.

"NO FUCKING FIGHTING!" Kylo loudly said making his point clear. You were trying to stifle a smile and a laugh. Kylo was trying to be serious, but you knew the guys well enough that _something_ was bound to happen. You felt the transport slow down and you looked out the window to see that you had arrived at the hotel.

The door to the transport opened and you all slid your way out and made your way into the Hotel. Inside, you saw that the whole lobby was filled with First Order officials. The men wore their formal uniforms and the women were all in proper ball gowns. You could hear music echoing through the halls and you could smell the aroma of food.

The first portion of the night was to be a drinks and cocktail hour. A time to mingle with everyone before the formal dinner. After the dinner, it would be time for dancing and desserts.

A glass of chilled whisky was brought to Kylo and you accepted a small crystal glass of sparkling water. You linked arms with Kylo and began to make your way around the room to mingle and greet key officials.

Eyes went wide and smiles appeared across peoples faces as you moved though the room with Kylo. Your current state now fully on public display. You intended to announce the happy news officially at dinner time, but it was fine that everyone saw you now.

You strained your neck looking through the room to see if you could spot Hux and Danka, but you you could not find them. They should have been here by now, yet they were nowhere to be seen. Oh well.

You smiled and accepted congratulations from those bold enough to mention your state without confirmation. You and Kylo made small talk with various Generals and Admirals and their spouses. Each time you met someone's spouse you were thanked graciously over the fact that they ball allowed for spouses to attend this time. You were so tickled to see how happy everyone was.

There were a few moments however, where you felt like _some_ didn't appreciate the work that went into planning the Ball. A few of the Generals and Admirals were cold to you, and when you looked though the room you could see that a few lieutenants and officers had unamused faces as they looked into their drinking glasses. You just figured that they weren't accustomed to this type of luxury or event.

The cocktail hour finally ended and it was time to finally open up the banquet hall and have dinner. The whole room was a buzz with excitement when the room was revealed. It looked prettier at night with the light displays in full effect.

You and Kylo made your way to the other end of the room towards the head table. Scattered strategically throughout the room, the Knights were sat. To Kylo's left sat General Pryde who looked miserable and unamused. The man didn't even bother to bring his wife even though she had been invited. To your right Hux was supposed to be sitting, and beside him Danka, but they still were nowhere to be seem.

Just as the wait staff was bringing out salads, Hux and Danka made their appearance. Danka looked positively lovely, but also a bit flushed when she took her seat. You could have sworn she intended to wear her hair up for the evening, but instead it was down.

"Sorry for our tardiness." He said, smoothing the front of his uniform and tugging nervously at the collar of his shirt. You looked at Hux and how flushed and nervous he was, then you looked at Danka who was chugging down her glass of water, and it instantly clicked.

"Personal duties?" You asked, squinting your eyes at them. Danka coughed on her water and Hux dropped his silverware.

"Personal duties." Kylo chimed in, having noticed the exchange. Both Danka and Hux looked mortified, meaning you were correct in your assumptions. You just smirked and sipped on your sparking water.

"Good for you." You said, chuckling into your glass. Both Hux and Danka were now beat red but laughing and holding hands under the table.

Once the main course had been served and people got a chance to eat a good portion of it, it was time for speeches. It had taken some convincing, but you got Kylo to agree to one singular speech pretty much thanking everyone, going over the accomplishments that have been achieved, and then Announcing your news.

You looked up at him in awe as he stood and tapped his glass getting everyone's attention. All in attendance turned and looked at him from their seats. He nervously began his speech, thanking everyone. You sat back in your seat, beaming with pride and love for him.

In the last six months your life had changed drastically. You used to be a whisp of a shadow that lingered behind the sinister Snoke, and now your were a bright beacon of light. You were someone millions of people throughout the Galaxy looked up to and admired. You were loved and adored by many.

You looked up at Kylo as he continued to speak. He glanced down at you and gave you a quick wink before starting to wrap up his speech.

"And no.... Mistress Ren is not hiding top secret weapons plans under her gown this evening. We are delighted to officially announce that we are to have a new arrival in a few short months. But enough hearing me talk. Please enjoy your meals." Kylo said before sitting down. The whole crowd erupted into applause and cheers and whistles.

"You did great! I'm so proud of you!" You said into Kylo's ear leaning into him. He smiled ever so slightly.

"I'm never doing that again." He whispered into your ear.

"Oh just once a year. Hux can do all the other speeches." You said. He lifted his arm up and put it around your shoulder and pulled you tightly to his side.

"As you wish." He said, kissing your cheek. You felt a blush rise to your cheeks and you brought both your hands to your stomach, feeling a few nudges from the inside.

"Someone else liked your speech too." You said. Kylo looked down at your hands and genuinely smiled. He snuck a hand under the table to also feel the light nudges that you were feeling.

The evening was going perfectly. You could tell the majority of those in attendance were having a good time. Even though there were some who were being stuffy and obscure.

With dinner finished, it was time to open up the dance floor. Kylo fought you all week about dancing. It was either doing the opening dance or the speech, he wasn't going to do both. So you settled on the speech. Still though, you asked him one more time, still a no. So... it would be you and Allegiant General Pryde.

You wished it was Hux instead, but Pryde was Allegiant General, even if all he did at the moment was oversee Finalizer updates.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?" Pryde flatly said to you extending his hand. You didn't particularly like his tone or how he was looking at you with mild distain. You glanced at Kylo, but he had been oblivious to the remark while listening to whatever another nearby admiral was saying.

You rose from your seat and took Pryde's extended hand and was led to the dance floor. The music played and the dance started. You tried to look happy, but Pryde was clearly miserable. You had such a good relationship with other members of high command, why was it Pryde that you felt like hated you?

"Are you enjoying the evening General?" You asked.

"I suppose one could say that." He flatly said.

"I know the ball is different from years past. It's an adjustment for some."

"There have been many adjustments we've had to endure this year.... ma'am."

"Surely, most have been for the better."

"That might be the opinion of some... but not all."

"I suppose...." you said. You were becoming a bit confused. Was Pryde trying to say that he didn't like all the changes that you and Kylo had made? He sure was acting like it.

"Things will all be... _rectified..._ in the end." He said just as the song was ending. You didn't like how he said that. You didn't like how he looked you up and down like you were some sort of annoyance. You didn't like how the hairs on the back of your neck stood up or how you suddenly felt very cold.

Pryde nodded his head towards you and turned on his heels before making his way out of the banquet hall. Around you other people descended on to the dance floor, but you remained, watching him leave, watching him pull out his communicator and make a call, all while he marched away from the festivities and out of the hotel.

You were standing alone in the middle of the dance floor while other couples danced around you. Time seemed slow for you but in reality only a few short seconds had passed and no one had noted how dazed you looked. In one swift movement, your arms were taken up again and you were spun around and you were now facing Ap'lek who was now leading you in a dance.

"What's wrong, Love?" He asked.

"I don't like Pryde."

"What did he say?"

"I'm probably reading too much into it."

"What... did.... he say?" Ap'lek sternly asked a second time. So you told him, you told him the conversation word for word. It was probably nothing. You were probably just reading too much into it. Pryde was an old Imperialist attached to old customs. He was old and set in his ways. It was normal for change not to come easy for someone like him.

When the second song ended Ap'lek escorted you back to your seat. Kylo was nowhere to be seen and Hux and Danka were out on the dance floor.

"Stay put. I'm going to make a few calls, see if I can track down Pryde." Ap'lek said.

"Thank you." You said as Ap'lek started to walk away. A few moments passed and Kylo returned. He placed a plate of chocolate cake in front of you and smiled.

To hell with Pryde. You weren't going to let a stuffy old man ruin your evening.

You reached for your dessert fork and Kylo grabbed your chair and pulled you close to him. He put his arm around you again and the two of you shared the slice of chocolate cake while watching everyone else dance.

The lights in the room were now dimmed as people swayed on the dance floor. You caught sight of Trudgen and Nilly dancing, off to the side Vicrul had his arms around two random women. Kuruk was being polite and dancing with some older admiral's wife. And not surprisingly, Cardo and Ushar were arm wrestling each other at their table.

You rested your head against Kylo's should and sighed. Despite the hiccup with Pryde, it really was a wonderful evening.

Estrid appeared at your side and pulled a chair close. She smiled and looked positively splendid and happy.

"You two should be out there." She said.

"I don't dance." Kylo sternly said.

"Nonsense; you owe your beautiful wife just _one_ dance." Estrid pressed. Kylo turned to you and gave you a half smile. The song that was currently playing was coming to an end. He started to get up and offered his hand to you. You took it and he led you to the dance floor.

  
A slow song started next and Kylo held you close. He wasn't that much of a dancer, but he swayed back and forth with you nonetheless. He rested his chin on the top of your head and thought about how his own life had changed within the past six months, and about how it was going to change even further in the near future. You made him so incredibly happy. Happier than anything else has ever made him in his life.

No one else understood him like you did. No one else made him feel whole and complete like you did. No one else respected him like you did. You were the sole key to this new found inner peace he was now discovering. It was just a shame that he couldn't have discovered you sooner in life.

You pressed your cheek to his chest and you could hear his heart thumping inside his chest. His heartbeat almost went along to the beat of the music. It calmed and soothed you. You felt safe and secure with him and only him.

You tilted your head up to look at him and without having to ask or give any signal at all, he leaned down and kissed you. Shamelessly displaying affection for you in front of everyone at the ball. You two only brome away from the kiss as the music drew to a close. You turned and saw that Ap'lek and Estrid were now on the dance floor next to you.

"Pryde went home. He's with his wife and grandkids." Ap'lek said to you.

"Oh! Well... that's fine I guess." You said as the next song started. You were surprised when Kylo took your hands again and began to move with the beat.

"What about Pryde?" Kylo asked you.

"He was acting weird when we danced and then left. Ap'lek went to find out what was up. I guess he's just a weird sort of fellow." You replied.

"Yeah... he is a bit strange." Kylo confirmed. Kylo stopped dancing with you and turned to see that Hux had tapped him on the shoulder.

"Do you mind?" Hux asked, inquiring if he could step in and dance with you.

"No... be my guest." Kylo said, stepping aside to allow Hux the chance to dance with you. Kylo disappeared into the crowd to return to his seat at the head table. In the sea of people dancing you spotted Danka now dancing with Cardo and the knights paired off with various people.

"This truly is a lovely event. You really have done amazing things for the Galaxy. I would have never thought to take the approach you have." Hux said.

"Aw... Huxy... you're embarrassing me." You said.

"Don't be embarrassed. You and... dare I admit it... Kylo have done amazing things. For once unification is _right_ within our grasp. We are so close."

"I anticipate we'll be able to unify within the next three years."

"I agree." He said, he was about to say something further when the music abruptly stopped and all the lights in the room turned on. You squinted your eyes to adjust to the new bright lighting. Gasps echoed through the crowd and a murmur could be heard. The crowd started to part and soon you were faced with the unimaginable.

_Dorin._

You blinked in disbelief. He was supposed to be dead. _He was supposed to be dead_. How was this possible!?

Hux instinctively pushed you behind him. You felt hands on your shoulders and turned to see Estrid. Another hand took yours and you saw Nilly. Out of the corner of your eye you saw Danka approach.

The Knights moved through the crowd. Quickly forming a barrier between you and Dorin. Dorin hadn't come alone. With him he had his own group of six cloaked henchmen. He was dressed just as finely as the last time you saw him, and you gazed at his arm... which was now a shining droid arm.

How did he get in?

How was he able to enter the planet's atmosphere?

How did he even know about this event?

Why wasn't this detected?

Kylo pushed through the crowd and in front of The Knights. They were facing off yet again.

No one in the room moved. It was like time stopped. People were cowering, gasping, and whispering. Then you noticed it. You noticed the change.

The room divided itself.

You were now aware of the fact that there were now some aligning themselves with Dorin, and others aligning themselves with you and Kylo. This was turning into a coup d'état.

How long had this been planned?

Who knew about this?

How did this go undetected?

You felt like such fool.

"Hello again." Dorin said to Kylo.

"I thought I killed you." Kylo replied.

"It was a minor inconvenience... nothing more." Dorin said, flexing his robotic arm.

"What do you want?" Kylo growled.

"I wanted to offer my congratulations... and... my condolences." Dorin said.

What happened next happened in what felt like slow motion.

Dorin lifted his arm towards you and Kylo turned, a look of horror on his face.

You felt something tear and rip from deep within you and you let out a horrifying scream. You fell to your knees in agonizing pain. Pain unlike anything you had ever felt in your life. You gripped at your stomach, the pain radiating from within.

Lightsabers ignited.

Blaster fire commenced.

There was an explosion in the distance.

You could hear ships flying close to the hotel.

You were hearing and sensing all these things, yet they felt so very, very far away. You were still in excruciating pain, gripping at your belly, saying silent prayers hoping everything was alright.

Estrid and Nilly tried to lift you to your feet as Hux covered you, blasting his weapon towards the direction where Kylo, Dorin, and The Knights and Henchmen were now battling it out.

When Estrid lifted you to your feet, you felt a pop and a rush of liquid pour our between your legs. Nilly lifted the hem of your dress and you looked down to see that you were standing in a pool on your own blood.

You felt dizzy and faint.

The room began to spin and just as you were about to collapse. Hux lifted you up and you began to move from the room.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**********

**A/N**

🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃  
  
  


**My inbox is open if you need me.**

**Xoxo,**

**Nia** 💋


	26. Fractured

**_Hux's POV_ **

It was just Hux, Danka, Estrid, and Nilly working their way out of the banquet hall. Carrying Y/N, Hux kicked down the door to the kitchen and rushed though. Danka, Estrid, and Nilly were armed with blasters and kept cover, shooting down anyone that got in their way or followed them.

Through the kitchens, Hux made his way towards a back hallway. A server held open the doors and pointed the way out. Everything was divided. Half of high command was for Kylo and Y/N and the other half was for Dorin. 

They made it to a back exit and the door opened up into a dingy back alleyway. Overhead Hux looked up and saw these unidentifiable newer ships shooting and battling TIE Fighters, also... there were a few X-Wings. Hux was baffled. What the hell was going on? Shadow Watch _and_ The Resistance were here.

Whoever followed them was now dead thanks to Nilly, Danka, and Estrid. Estrid ran over to Hux and began shaking Y/N awake, slapping at her face. Y/N groaned and her eyes fluttered open for the briefest moment, but then she was out again.

"Wake up! Wake up! Stay with us!" Estrid sobbed. Looking down Hux saw that Y/N's feet were completely saturated with blood, droplets dripping from her heels onto the ground below. 

"We have to get to The Valiance." Hux said. With all the chaos around them, Hux knew for certain that _his_ team and _his_ crew on board The Valiance would still be loyal. It was these other Generals and Admirals that he didn't trust. 

They started making their way towards the street when a speeder pulled up blocking their path. Estrid and Nilly were getting ready to fire when the doors to the speeder flew open and out stepped Poe Dameron, his hands held up over his head.

"We are here to help! Shadow Watch, it's bigger than either of us thought!" Dameron said. Hux needed to make a split decision. There was no way he was going to be able to get adequate help on foot. Hux knew that The Resistance had been trying to reach out to them. He knew that Organa had been trying to relay a message. Yet he ignored them, still considering The Resistance to be the true enemy when clearly he was deceived. 

Hux nodded his head and Dameron stepped aside. They all crammed into the speeder, Dameron hopped into the pilot's seat and began navigating towards the main speedway.

"We need to get to The Valiance, she's fading fast!" Hux said.

"I'm on it!" Dameron said. 

"What the hell do you know about Shadow Watch that we haven't been told!" Hux demanded to know.

"Dorian Palpatine was captured by Sith Cultists who make up Shadow Watch when he was a boy. They trained him, raised him, and weaponized him. It was what Snoke had been hoping to do with her." Dameron said pointing to Y/N. "But she isn't Force Sensitive. We didn't know about Shadow Watch at all until recently, when the attacks began. They began because there's a third..." 

"The girl... the scavenger girl." Hux said.

"Yes. Rey... She's the youngest. She didn't even know exactly who she was until General Organa started training her. Mance Palpatine, her father, _their_ father, he ran and hid throughout the entire galaxy. Shadow Watch was closing in on him and he fortunately was able to keep the existence of Rey a secret. He was forced to leave her on Jakku and hope for the best."

"How did we not know about this attack? How did we not know about this betrayal?" Hux asked.

"It's been in the works for decades, right under our noses, since the fall of the Empire. Shadow Watch.... they have members amongst your own ranks which you probably realized by now. They were just waiting, buying out their time until Dorin was ready, until he reached his full potential. We learned of the attack only hours ago. We scrambled as soon as we could. If Dorin takes control it's over for _all_ of us." Dameron said as he zoomed the speeder thought the city, dodging other ships, displaying his amazing flying skills. They were going to reach The Valiance in record time. 

"Why... why are you helping us?" Hux asked in disbelief.

"Because... because our General still loves her son." Dameron said just as the landing pad for The Valiance came into view. Behind them a war was being raged in the city. TIE Fighters, X-Wings, and other... newer, sleeker ships were battling in the sky. Stormtroopers were about to open fire on the speeder before Hux kicked open his door and identified himself. 

"Medics! We need Medics!!!" Hux screamed at them as Estrid, Nilly, and Danka pulled Y/N from the speeder. Officers ran down the ramp of the ship. There had been distress calls coming in over the communicators, things were confusing, the crew was receiving conflicting information from various officials in command. Fortunately, Hux's team chose not to act, they were waiting for _his_ orders.

"Fire up the engines, get ready to depart, I don't care if not all of the crew is on the ship, we leave immediately." Hux said.

"Right away sir." One of his lieutenants said. 

"Hux!" Dameron called out. Hux turned to Dameron.

"Tell your guys to not fire on our guys... just this once." Dameron asked.

"Certainly... of course... and... Dameron.... thank you." Hux said before rushing up the rampart. Dameron sped off in his speeder and Hux rushed up into the ship. He could already hear the engines firing up and the ship rumbling, preparing for departure. 

Inside medics were frantically working on Y/N. They had cut her dress away and started sticking IV lines and all sorts of equipment into her.

"There's still a heartbeat but it's fading fast! We need to get her into the operating theater STAT!" A nurse yelled. 

"We need to control the bleeding!" Another yelled.

"We are limited with time!" A third said. 

"Do what you must! SHE cannot die! Do not let HER die!" Hux screamed,his heart breaking in the process, he didn't realize tears were streaming down his face. He watched as they wheeled her way towards the medbay, continuing to work on her to keep her alive.

Armitage Hux saw what felt like a million memories flash before his eyes. Memories of when they were children, memories of when they were happy as friends. There was a time when, despite the cruelness they both endured, they were each other's only companions. He felt responsible for her, she was the closest thing he ever had to a sister. 

He would never forget the look on her face when she told him she was pregnant. She was so excited, so incandescently happy, so filled with life. As much as he resented Kylo Ren for being his rival when it came to his professional career, he had to admit he was thankful for Kylo for actually loving her, for caring about her in a way that he himself never could. Hux knew that Ren tried to keep up a facade of coldness, but it was undeniable how the two felt for each other, a blind and deaf person could see it. 

Hux looked down at his now ruined formal uniform, covered in her blood. He brought his hands up to his face and wiped away his tears. He felt hands on his arm and he looked down to see Danka, her mascara running down her cheeks and sniffles coming out of her.

He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Come... we have work to do." Hux said. He took Danka's hand and started to make his way towards the bridge of the ship. He turned to Estrid and Nilly.

"Keep in contact with the Knights, I'm getting this ship off this planet and into hiding. Notify me as soon as you hear from the medbay." Hux said.

"Of course." Estrid said, her face as pale as a sheet of paper. Hand in hand with Danka they marched up to the Bridge to lead their ship and crew out of this catastrophe.

**_End Hux's POV_ **

**_Kylo's POV_ **

It happened so quickly, he sensed it. He saw it, and _it horrified him_. Dorin reached out with The Force and ripped away the physical connection between the baby and Y/n from _the inside._ Her screams filled his ears as she fell to her knees. All Kylo saw as red. All Kylo saw was _rage._

Letting pure rage fuel him, Kylo lunged out and attacked Dorin. Their sabers clashing and their bodies flying though the room. A fight broke out and chaos ensued. Kylo was surrounded by friends and foes, people he thought were loyal were trying to attack him. The First Order turned inwards on itself, attacking each other. Fire rained down from the ceilings, blaster shots ricocheted off of pillars and walls. 

The Knights were in fierce hand to hand combat with Dorin's henchmen. The Henchmen were also dark force users, making the struggle more intense and more difficult. From outside the hotel, a war raged between TIE Fighters and Shadow Watch forces. The building vibrated and shook with each pass of a ship. 

A hole was blown through the side of the banquet room and using The Force, Kylo pushed Dorin though. Jumping down to the roof top of the building below, Kylo rejoined Dorin and they continued their intense battle. 

Their sabers sparked and collided. 

The humming and shattering of the weapons echoed off the walls of the buildings surrounding them. The men grunted and screamed at each other. Both of them trying desperately to get the other hand. 

For a moment both men were distracted as a number of ships appeared out of hyperspace. The ships weren't First Order and they weren't Shadow Watch. No... They were Resistance. Kylo immediately felt it, the familiar warmth that was his mother's Force Signature. She was gently reaching out to him, telling him that she had come _for him._

This spurned Kylo on further. Rage still coursed though his veins. He swung his lightsaber over his head and crashed it down onto Dorin's saber. The two men were pushing back and forth.

"The Galaxy is mine!" Dorin said.

"Never!" Kylo yelled back, pushing Dorin towards the edge of the roof. For a moment Dorin tried to regain his balance, and then he Force pushed himself, hurling his body towards Kylo. Out of nowhere, shots from a familiar Corellian Light Freighter rang out, knocking Dorin off his path. Dorin was thrown to another building, away from Kylo's view. For a few moment's Kylo could catch his breath, assess what was going on.

Was she safe?

Did they get her out?

Was she alive?

The baby....

"Ben!!!" Kylo heard a familiar voice call out to him, he got up on his feet and turned, it was The Girl... the Scavenger. He swung his lightsaber around, ready to take on two enemies now at once.

"No... Ben... We are here to help!" She said, her own lightsaber not engaged. She continued to approach him, her hands in front of her in a manner of surrender.

"This isn't your fight!" Kylo said.

"Yes! It is... more than you realize." She said, her eyes full and wide. She could tell that Kylo was at a breaking point, that his mind and heart were fractured at this very moment. 

"She's safe! Poe Dameron picked Hux and the others up behind the hotel. She's on board The Valiance." Rey said. Kylo searched her face and understood that Rey spoke true. What left his mouth was something between a sob and a sigh of relief. He wanted to say more, but he was interrupted, there was a screeching sound coming from the edge of the building. Both Kylo and Rey turned to see the metal bionic hand of Dorin pulling him up back to the roof top.

Rey ignited her lightsaber, ready to face off against Dorin. Both Kylo and Rey stood at the ready. Dorin looked at both of them and began to hysterically laugh.

"So it's a family reunion!!!!" He proclaimed. Kylo looked at Rey but Rey kept looking at Dorin, her eyes and face intent on him. It was then that Kylo realized something. He realized _who_ Rey was.

She was Sola... _Sola-Rey_... The missing sister that Y/N often spoke about. 

"Hello baby sister... we never got a chance to meet... but my, my.... you do look like that whore who replaced _my_ mother." Dorin said. 

"You are no brother to me!" Rey said.

"Good... because I've been trying to kill you." Dorin said. Rey screamed and hurled herself at Dorin, this time their blades colliding. Kylo didn't know what to do next, he went to step forward but was stopped. Hands grabbed him and pulled him back. He turned around to possibly attack, but instead was eye to eye with Ap'lek and three of the other Knights. 

"We have to go." Ap'lek said.

"But..."

"LISTEN TO ME! We have to go! Leave them!" Ap'lek said, shaking Kylo.

"The Valiance departed, we still have a chance to overtake The Finalizer and have two ships on our side. We _have_ to act now!" Ap'lek said. Kylo turned, he wanted to help Rey, he wanted to see that Dorin was finished once and for all.

Rey turned to him in a brief moment of reprieve from her own battle.

"GO!" she yelled. Kylo nodded and they he went to turn to leave with the Knights when he felt it.

A shift in the force.

A loss.

A death.

But who?

WHO!?

Kylo turned back to Rey and it was clear that both Rey and Dorin felt it too. Dorin started to hysterically laugh again. His laugh sinister and psychotic. 

"My work here is done for the day." He said, before pulling the Force around him and disappearing into a flash of light.

"NOOOOO!" Kylo screamed, falling to his knees.

"We don't know! We have to go!" Ap'lek said, pulling Kylo to his feet. Rage coursed though Kylo's veins, he didn't turn back to Rey, instead he pushed though The Knights and began to make his way back towards the Hotel. 

He cut down whoever dared stand in his way. A trail of bodies was all that was left behind. He didn't care if they were friend of foe, if they breathed near him, they were cut down. Outside the Hotel, Kylo saw that Cardo and Ushar had commandeered a cruiser. Kylo boarded and only waited long enough for the others to catch up. Zipping off into the sky they made their way towards the Finalizer.

Kylo was relieved to see that The Valiance was already gone. Igniting his saber again, Kylo got out of the cruiser and began to cut down troopers and officers that began to fire on him. It was _his ship_ and he was here to claim it. The Knights were at his back, fighting equally as hard to over take the ship. 

Those who were loyal to Kylo threw down their weapons and knelt in submission, those who defied, died a harsh and violent death. They cut and fought their way to the bridge where a fight amongst crew was already raging. Pryde had been in command of this ship, and Pryde had aligned himself with Dorin.

The moment the blast doors slid open, all fighting amongst crew ceased as they stared at Kylo and the knights. Kylo asked no questions, he just began to cut people down where they stood. Those who had time and were loyal to him ducked away and began to pray to whatever their heart told them to for their lives to be spared. 

As the chaos died down, each of the Knights took up positions to start firing up the ship. The ship began to shake and spur. Out of the windows Kylo looked down to see a battalion of Troopers marching towards The Finalizer, they were led by Pryde. 

Pryde started pointing at the ship and screaming, and foolishly the Troopers began to fire their weapons at the ship. It was too late, Kylo and The Knights had been successful, overtaking the ship just the seven of them. With no regard to the safety of those around them, Ap'lek punched it and sent the massive ship hurdling into space. 

Kylo fell backwards into a nearby seat. His entire body shaking as he was coming down an adrenaline high. Before he even asked, Vicrul made contact with The Valiance on a secure line, a holo of Hux appearing before him.

"I've sent over the coordinates as to where we are. The fleet is an entire loss, with the successful take over of The Finalizer it leaves us with only The Valiance as our other ship. Mistress Ren is out of surgery and in recovery. Beyond that I have not been told anything more." Hux relayed. Kylo made no reply. He didn't need to be told explicitly anything else. He already knew.

The holo ended and Kylo fell forward into his lap, brining his hands up to his face. All around him the other knights stood in silence, their faces down turned, agony in their own hearts over what they all knew they lost. 

At the far end of the bridge, with his back turned towards the others, Ap'lek silently punched in coordinates to where The Valiance was hidden in the unknown regions. Tears streaming down his face.

***

**_Trigger warning - Infant/Pregnancy Loss_ **

The Finalizer jerked out of hyperspace and coasted to the side of The Valiance. A transport was immediately prepared and Kylo departed to head over to the other ship. Onboard The Valiance he was met by Hux, Danka, Estrid, Nilly... and Dr. Petick. 

He pushed right past them and marched his way to the medbay. He didn't need to be told where to go, he used his senses. Behind him everyone rushed to keep up, but he was not having it. He needed to get to her, he needed to see her. 

He stood in the door way to her room and his stomach dropped to his feet. He felt like he was going to be sick. 

It was worse than the time he rescued her from the stormtroopers. It was so much worse. 

She had lines and tubes sticking out of her and down her throat they stuck a respirator. Her eyes were taped closed and machines all around beeped and hummed. Tears stung Kylo's eyes as he took small steps towards her. He carefully sat on the edge of the bed and gently, ever so gently, pushed her hair to the side. A sob left his mouth as he picked up her hand and brought her fingertips to his lips. 

The room was filled with his quiet sobs. Outside the door, standing respectfully, the others stood stifling their own tears and cries. Ap'lek held Estrid closely as she silently sobbed into his shoulder. 

Kylo gently placed her hand down and something caught his eye in the corner of the room. It was a small rectangular box like device. It was sealed and entirely opaque, yet a control panel on the side read that it was running and the temperature of whatever it was housing was being kept cool. Kylo cleared his throat and signaled for Dr. Petick to enter the room. 

Reluctantly, Ap'lek let go of Estrid, handing her over into the care of Cardo and Ushar, and followed the terrified doctor into the room, and shut the door behind him. 

"What happened?" Kylo asked in a very small voice.

"The placenta had been ripped away from the uterine wall causing extensive internal bleeding. The shock of it started the labor process prematurely. Her Grace loss a large amount of blood, but we were able to stop it. Unfortunately, the child was deprived of blood supply and oxygen too long, we did everything we could." The Doctor nervously said.

"What was it?" Kylo asked.

"It... it was a Boy... sir." The doctor said. Small coughs and squeaks were coming from Kylo as he tried to choke back his own sobs in front of the doctor. 

"Will... will she recover?" Kylo asked. 

"Yes... sir... we expect her to make a full recovery with minimal damage and a hope for the possibility of future children." The Doctor said

"That will be all Doctor." Kylo said, dismissing the man who thought that at any moment he was about to be killed for simply being the bearer of bad news. With the doctor gone, Ap'lek stepped up next to Kylo and put his hand on his shoulder. 

"The case.... it's called a CryoCrib... it's.... its to help preserve the body until the parents decide what they want to do." Ap'lek said.

"Alright." Kylo said, getting up and going to the other side of the room to where the rectangular case was.

"It's.... It might look rough... he was only about twenty weeks along." Ap'lek said

"I'm ready." Kylo said, balling his hands into fists to steady himself. Ap'lek nodded and hit the button on the side of the case. The top opened and a cloud of cold smoke dissipated. Inside laying on a little bed, wrapped with a little hat and a blanket, as if he were just sleeping, was the tiniest little baby. He was still pink and shiny, still had so much more growing left to do. But he was all there. All ten fingers and toes. 

Kylo audibly choked a sob and sucked in air though his nose. The man was a mess and he had no idea what to do about his feelings. A rumble could be felt though the room as the Force vibrated off of him and shook the machines around the room. Kylo quickly regained control and brought his hands up to the case and brought his hands inside to pick up the little bundle.

He was so tiny he fit in the palm of his hand. Kylo chuckled a bit to see that the little guy had his ears, already too big for his head. Those chuckles dissipated into sobs however we he saw just how perfectly formed he would have been.

"Ap'lek..." Kylo began.

"Yeah?" Ap'lek replied.

"That stuff from the boutique..."

"I'll have it brought down."

"Ok."

"Anything else?"

"I want The Silencer ready for departure immediately."

"Sir?"

"I want Dorin dead. Even if I have to search for him myself." Kylo firmly stated as he gently put down the little bundle back into the CryoCrib.

"Of... of course." Was all Ap'lek could say. Rage, hatred, Anger, and sorrow radiated off the man. There would be no stopping or reasoning with Kylo at this point.

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

**_End Trigger warning_ **

*************

**A/N**

**I know this is rough for some, and I know some of you hate me. In real life I work in the pregnancy field from time to time and these topics as a writer and an author are topics I feel should be discussed more, even if it's in a fantasy setting like Star Wars.**

**Topics of loss and grief specifically.**

**I have attached resources in the event you or someone you know has suffered a loss.**

**https://www.bereavedparentsusa.org  
**

**https://www.countthekicks.org**

**https://www.october15th.com**

**Please don't hate me. I am promising you a happy ending in the end.**

**xoxo,**

**Nia 💋**

**(My Inbox is always open)**


	27. Sorrow

**_***The next few chapters will be exploring the grief process. There will be some thoughts of hopelessness suicide. Please be advised.***_ **

Voices echoed in your mind. You could pick out each individual voice, but you could only pick out fragments of words and sentences.

 _"Wake up! Stay with us!" -_ Estrid

 _"She cannot die!" -_ Hux

 _"I'm not hearing a heartbeat"_ -Nurse Cambra

 _"There's no time!"_ \- Dr. Petick

Your mind was sorting through what it picked up. The phrases. The fragments of sentences. The chaos. The blaster fire. The yelling. The screaming.

As your mind started to fade those memories into the background, you began to hear something that was more present, more current.

A beeping.

A humming.

Your eyes fluttered open and you were staring up at the ceiling in your bedroom onboard The Valiance. Your eyes felt swollen and sticky. Your mouth was dry and chalky. You had a soreness in your throat. Your muscles felt stiff and heavy.

You started to move, you tried to roll over off your back. That was when you felt it. A sharp pain cutting through your abdomen.

Panic set in and you started to push your blankets off you. You were still assessing yourself and your surroundings. Your arm was connected to an IV drip which was the source of the humming. Attached to your chest were heart monitors, the source of the beeping.

As panic began to set in, the beeping increased. You got yourself sitting up with your back pressed to the headboard. You could only move so quickly, pain, stiffness, and soreness holding you back.

The door to your bedroom opened and Estrid stood there carrying a tray of tea. Her eyes went wide seeing you awake. She put down the tea tray and rushed to your bedside.

"Shhh... shhh... it's ok." She said taking your hands away from the blankets you were trying to detangle yourself from. You felt another sharp stinging pain in your lower stomach. You brought your hand down as a reaction and that was when you felt it.

Your stomach felt soft.

It felt flatter.

_Empty._

"The baby. Where's my baby?" You croaked out. Your voice hoarse and your throat aching.

"You suffered a lot of blood loss. You required emergency surgery." Estrid said.

"Where's my baby?!" You said louder this time.

"Love.... they did everything they could." Estrid softly said. You searched Estrid's face. Her own eyes swollen and bloodshot. Her face void of any makeup. Her expression one of sympathy and sorrow.

"No...." you softly said.

"I'm so sorry, Love." Estrid said.

"No!!!! You're lying. Tell me you're lying!" You said, anger filling you, you shoved her away.

"I'm not lying."

"No. I want my baby. Bring me my baby!" You screamed this time.

"He's... he's here..." Estrid softly said, her voice breaking a bit. She motioned towards a case that was off to the side. You blinked in disbelief. Surely she was lying. Surly the case was just an incubator.

"I want to hold him. Let me hold him." You begged.

"He's very small... very tiny... he's..."

"I don't care! Give me my baby!" You screamed at her. Estrid got up and went over to the case and wheeled it to your bedside.

"I need you to be calm." Estrid said to you. You just stared at her, daggers coming out of your eyes. You watched as she hit the button on the side of the case and the top opened up. You saw a rush of cold smoke dissipate and you could feel a rush of cold icy air come from the case.

"Why is it so cold!? He must be so cold!" You said your voice cracking and tears stinging your eyes, your hands jutting out and pulling the case closer to you. Your mind took a moment to adjust to what you saw on the inside.

It was just like a regular bassinet on the inside, except for how cold it was. He was so very, very small, and pinkish. You refused to blink as you gazed down into the case. You wanted to see movement. You wanted to see breathing. But nothing came.

Only stillness.

He was dressed all in white, with a lace tunic, a small lace hat, and wrapped tightly in a soft muslin blanket. Laid next to his little hand was a tiny silver rattle. Someone had taken the time to dress him, even if the clothes on his tiny frame were way too big.

With shaky hands you reached inside and pulled him out. He was cold. Ice cold. And stiff. Void of life. He fit just in your hands. He was so small. So very, very small.

You lifted him up and brought him close to you. Ever so careful with him. He was so fragile.

Tears fell from your eyes as you pressed your lips to what you could. Kissing him.

Estrid blinked away her own tears as she watched you. Pain in her own heart. Estrid had watched three days prior as Kylo sobbed over the CryoCrib and gently clothed his son in the small items he had purchased. It was all almost too much to bare.

"Where's.... where's Kylo?" You asked.

"He's... not here." Estrid honestly said.

"Where did he go?"

"We don't know. He dressed the little one himself and then took off in the Silencer. He's on a rampage, vowing to find Dorin himself. He hasn't returned and he hasn't been in contact. Ap'lek and Kuruk went in the Night Buzzard to try and follow him."

"How long has he been gone, how long was I asleep?"

"Three days." Estrid said. You looked back down at the baby in your hands and you began to memorize the tiny details of his face.

He looked so perfect. He was the perfect blend of both you and Kylo, you could already see it. Tears fell from your eyes and hit the blanket he was wrapped in.

You then felt this pressure in your breasts. This swollen, engorged feeling. You then felt some sort of release and you looked down and your pajama top was soaked.

"Oh... Love... your milk came in...here let me help you." Estrid said. You then realized what had happened. You body was now physically calling out... crying for the child it had been preparing for.

"No! I'm fine!" You snapped at her. You held the baby close. Estrid took a step back, her eyebrows knitted together. She was struggling on how to figure out how to help you.

"Wake up. Please wake up. _Please."_ You said down to the little bundle. You kept repeating yourself over and over again. You were refusing to accept that he was gone, that he wasn't there. Tears fell from your eyes and onto his perfect little face.

" _Please wake up."_ You were loudly crying, your voice cracking, and the effort making your throat hurt even more. Estrid sat down on the edge of the bed and began to rub your leg. She was speaking but you could not hear her.

Nurse Cambra also entered the room at that point, but you didn't really notice nor did you care. You were beside yourself. You just continued to cry and beg, to whom you were begging you did not know.

"Ma'am.... he can't be out of the crib for too long." Cambra said, reaching out, trying to take the bundle from you.

"NO!" You shrieked.

"We won't take him from the room. You just need to put him back in the crib." Cambra said.

"NO!" You screamed. Holding him closer to you now. You were beside yourself. You tried to kick Cambra away, but the movement tore at the stitches in your abdomen. You cried out in pain. You were screaming now. Making no sense. You were telling Cambra to get away from you. You were kicking and you were swatting at Estrid.

"Stay away from me!" You yelled. Tears and snot running down your face. A team of more nurses came in including Dr. Petick.

"Doctor we need a mild sedative!" Cambra said as she grabbed your one ankle and pinned you to the bed. Another nurse grabbed your other ankle and held you down. You watched as Estrid stepped away pressing herself against the wall, holding her hand to her mouth as she silently cried.

"Stay away from me! You will not take him! You won't take my baby!!!" You screamed. All at once you felt light and bubbly. Your legs went limp as did your arms. Dr. Petick reached down and took the bundle from you and gently placed it back in the crib.

A mild sedative had been administered to you in your IV, and it was now taking hold. Your mind was screaming, but your body was now limp and calm.

The nurses moved you so that you were laying flat on your back. They pulled away the blankets and unbuttoned your pajama top. You glanced down to see a horizontal incision site at the lowest part of your abdomen. Blood and other fluid was lightly leaking out of it.

You felt like you were out of your own body. Gazing down at the room as Dr. Petick cleaned up the incision and restitched and bandaged it up. The nurses worked in a synchronized fashion to clean you up, get you redressed in new pajamas, and propped back up on pillows.

Slowly.... reality started to set in as you came to the realization of what happened.

Your baby was gone.

Your husband was nowhere to be found.

And all of this was the doing of your so called "brother".

The nurses started to depart from the room, making sure one last time that you were calm. It was just you and Estrid again. She came back over and sat down on the edge of the bed. You looked up at her and asked one singular question, a question you already knew Estrid didn't have the answer to:

_"Why?"_

  
***

**_Leia's POV_ **

It the three days, since the attack, much has transpired. Dorin Palpatine assumed control of First Order forces with the exception of The Valiance and The Finalizer. He declared himself Emperor and reformed The First Order as The Second Empire. And he had begun a reign of terror... all in only _three_ days .

It was easy to deploy ships to coruscant once the Shadow Watch attack was discovered. It was easy to use Dorin Palpatine as an excuse, saying that he was a greater threat. What wasn't easy was now convincing those around her that an alliance with what remained of her son's version of the First Order was warranted.

The details of what transpired at The Ball had not yet been made known to her. Leia spent much of her time in private meditation, searching The Force, trying to reach out to her son in any way that she could, yet she felt only a wall of anger and pain.

Leia ordered for Poe to reach out to The Valiance once more. Dorin was proclaiming that his sister was dead, but there hadn't been any confirmation. If this was true, it could possibly explain the insurmountable pain she felt radiating through The Force.

"General." Poe said, coming into her office deep within the base they were currently hiding out in on some tropical planet. Leia had held herself up in her office with only Rey as her companion for the past 3 days. The two of them trying to meditate.

"Poe. What news?"

"I just got off a call with Hux."

"And?"

"They have The Valiance and The Finalizer in hiding in the unknown regions. They're running both ships on half the crew they normally would, and since both ships were in the midst of refueling and repairs, they are severely under supplied. Hux is eager to open up lines of communication so that intelligence can be shared." Poe said.

"The girl... what of the girl?" Leia asked. Poe ran his hand though his hair and put his other hand on his hip.

"At the ball... it was.... Kylo... Ben... he announced that they were expecting. That she was pregnant." Poe said. Leia immediately felt weak in the knees. She sat down.

"What else?" She asked. Rey stood up and began pacing the room.

"Dorin.... Dorin used The Force...." Poe couldn't bring himself to say the rest. He almost couldn't stomach it. "The baby is dead and she barely survived." Poe finished.

Leia brought her hand up to her mouth. Her stomach instantly souring and her heart breaking. She now understood the immense pain she was feeling through the force. She thought she was going to be sick.

Leia had seen so many horrors during the height of the Empire. She had seen the awful things a Sith Lord could do. But this.... this was worse. So, so much worse.

"Hux made a point to mention that the baby was very much wanted and already very loved." Poe said, remembering how Hux's voice broke a bit as the two Generals spoke.

"So she's alive. Dorin's claims that she's dead are false?" Rey asked.

"Right. She's alive. When I spoke to Hux he said she had not yet woken up, but that she was recovering." Poe said. Relief washed over Rey. Rey certainly knew how she felt about her brother, but as for her sister she wasn't certain about her feelings.

"What of my son?" Leia asked.

"Hux said he ran off. Took his ship and declared he would kill Dorin himself. He said that two Knights Of Ren are trying to track him down. Hux said Ren was inconsolable and unreasonable." Poe said.

"For once I think my Son's anger and actions are justified in this." Leia confessed, anger and pain now filling her own heart.

"We are planning a formal exchange of Shadow Watch Intelligence documents tomorrow." Poe said.

"Thank you. That will be all. Both of you are dismissed." Leia said, dismissing both Poe and Rey. Rey wanted to stay, but she knew the General needed to be alone.

Alone in her office, Leia broke down. Gripping her cane tears fell from her eyes and her chest heaved up and down. This was a pain she was familiar with. She felt it when Snoke stole her son away. She felt it when she lost Han. And she was feeling it now, feeling the loss and the grief. She felt it deeply because it was her child that was suffering and there was nothing she could do to ease that pain.

Being unable to do anything made it so much worse.

**_End Leia's POV_ **

**_***_ **

**_Ap'lek's POV_ **

This was the third village on some random planet that was left in a heap of ash and embers. Ap'lek and Kuruk squinted and coughed as the smoke filled their eyes and lungs. They were having trouble keeping up with Kylo.

"Damn..." Kuruk said.

"Can you blame him?" Ap'lek said.

"No... I actually think he's handling it pretty well, considering everything." Kuruk and Ap'lek started rummaging through the rubble to see what was salvageable.

Kuruk was right. Ap'lek was grateful Kylo took off. All they needed was for Kylo to remember that he had access to two Axial Superlasers on The Valiance. They would be inspecting whole destroyed planets instead of a few villages.

"You there! What happened and when did it happen?" Ap'lek asked after seeing villagers rummaging through the rubble of their own town.

"Two nights ago. A dark ship. Red glass. It looked like a flying knife. It came out of nowhere. And then the man... he had a..." the villager said.

"A red crackling blade... yeah. We know." Kuruk said.

"He demanded to know if we knew about this gang and this other man... there were a few in our town that belonged to that gang. He killed them. Cut them down where they stood. Then he set fire to the rest." The Villager said.

"Which way did he go?" Ap'lek said.

"North"

"Thank you." Kuruk said.

"What.... what did that gang do?" The villager asked.

"They killed his baby." Ap'lek said. The villager blinked a few times, allowing the information to set in.

"I hope he gets his revenge." The villager solemnly said. With that Ap'lek and Kuruk made their way back to the Night Buzzard.

North. That was all they had to go on. Hopefully they could catch up before another village was set ablaze.

**_End Ap'lek's POV_ **

**_***_ **

You refused to leave your room. You refused to leave your bed. You long had all your IV lines and other medical equipment removed. All that was left in your room was the CryoCrib.

Every few hours you would lean over and gaze inside the case. You knew you needed to make a decision. Dr. Petick told you the day before that the CryoCrib would only work for two more days. You needed to say goodbye. Yet you couldn't.

Kylo wasn't here. How could they expect you to make a decision without him here?

You were angry. Angry with Kylo for leaving you. It had been two days now since you initially woke up from the attack. So it was now 5 days in total that Kylo was out there... somewhere. Ap'lek and Kuruk were trying. They were trying to keep up with him. But it was no use.

Rage filled you.

You sat up in bed and grabbed a pillow and threw it across the room. It hit the lamp on your dresser, knocking it to the ground, shattering it into a million pieces. Your screamed in anger. Angry because you were alone. Angry because you were hurting. Angry because an unspeakable evil took your son from you. Tore him from you. Severed that holy bond.

You were angry with yourself.

What if you had cancelled the ball?

What if you didn't attend?

What if you never announced your pregnancy?

You replayed every single decision you made over the past several months. You bargained with yourself that if you had just made _one_ decision differently, that maybe... just maybe... none of this would have happened.

You knelt in the middle of your bed and cried. Your eyes were perpetually swollen and red. You not only were in emotional pain, but you were in physical pain as well. Your body was trying to go back to what it once was. And you had that constant cruel reminder that your breasts constantly gave you every few hours.

It was a joke really. Your body producing milk for a child that would never drink it. It was a cruel joke.

You gripped at your chest and pressed hard. Hoping that the pressure would just magically make it all go away. Instead it leaked out, saturating your night gown.

Again you screamed in anger.

Danka rushed into the room hearing you. A look of concern on her face.

"I'm fine!" You yelled.

"The lamp. What happened?" She asked.

"I said I'm fine!" You yelled at her, continuing to press on your chest. You just wanted _everything_ to go away. You wanted it all to be over. Danka didn't know what to do. She left the room. Left your quarters all together.

The pain of it all was just too much. All of it was too much. You wished they had just let you slip away, blissfully unaware of anything.

You searched the room and saw your bottles of medication off to the side. The thought immediately came into your mind. It would be so easy. So painless. You only needed to take a handful of the pain medicine. You'd slip away blissfully unaware.

You got out of bed. Your feet crunching on the shattered pieces of lamp. The ceramic cutting into your skin. You left bloody footprints across the room. Yet, you felt no pain. Your mind and eyes were solely focused on the bottles of pills in front of you.

You grabbed the bottle and made your way over to the CryoCrib. You switched it open and reached inside. You had your baby in one hand and the bottle of pills in another.

You looked between the two. The bottle. The baby. The bottle. The baby.

As you gazed at the baby all you saw was a little Kylo. Tears fell yet again and a sob left your chest.

"What are you doing?" You turned and saw Estrid standing in the doorway. Her arms crossed over her chest. You didn't know how to answer her. You staggered backwards. Your cut up feet slipping on the blood.

"Give me the bottle." Estrid calmly said, extending her hand to you. You immediately filled with regret and shame. You felt stupid for even considering such a thing. You were angry. You were upset. You felt alone.

But death... death was not something you _truly_ wanted. It was just a means to an end. It was the easy way out.

Estrid quickly crossed the room, the broken ceramic crunching under her shoes. She snatched the bottle from your hands and gently took the baby from you. She placed him back in the CryoCrib and then turned towards too.

"What were you thinking?!" She said.

"I.... I.... I don't know!" You broke down.

"Come here." She said taking you and moving you to sit on the edge of your bed. She lifted up your feet and noted all the ceramic embedded in your skin.

"It just hurts so much!" You sobbed.

"I know, Love... I know."

"It's all my fault!" You sobbed as she crossed the room to get towels to blot your feet.

"No Love, it's not your fault." She went into the 'fresher and wet down a bunch of towels while you cried like a baby.

"I'm just so alone!" You sobbed as she started to clean your feet and wipe the ceramic away.

"You aren't alone, Love. I am right here."

"But Kylo isn't here. He left me! I failed. This is all my fault. I'm a failure!"

"Kylo is grieving just as you are grieving." She said.

"You just don't know! You don't know what this is like! You don't know this pain!" You said. To that Estrid dropped your foot. Your heel sharply hitting the hard frame of your bed.

"I do know. I know more than you ever will understand!" She firmly said, her voice breaking, and tears threatening to crest over. You sat up and stopped crying. You searched her face and saw that she was being serious. Her hands balled into fists. Somehow she knew this pain. She knew what you were feeling... _and some._

Estrid resumed cleaning your feet. Picking prices of ceramic from your skin. She was being rougher this time. Less caring. She wanted you to feel the pain you had caused yourself on your feet.

"Ap'lek and I lost _four_ babies. All of them had been early on. We never got far enough to know if they were boys or girls, but we lost them nonetheless. I used to think something was wrong with me. That I was broken. That I wasn't a real woman. Then... then one day our miracle happened. I prayed to all the gods there ever were for that one to stick. For that one to stay with me. And he did. He was born and he was _perfect."_ Estrid said, you could feel her tears hitting the skin on your feet.

"What... what happened?" You softly asked.

"His name was Cade. He had thick brown curly hair and the bluest eyes you ever saw. He wanted to be a Knight one day. It was all he ever talked about. He would try and lift Ap'lek's axe. He was such a good boy... so full of life. We were traveling on our home planet. I flew a small two seat speeder. Cade was sitting next to me. I remember looking into the rear view mirror and seeing the freighter flying down the path. There was nothing I could do. There was no way I could have acted in time. He was only five years old." She said before wiping her nose on the back of her sleeve.

"The pilot of the freighter was drunk. He shouldn't have been flying. I remembered waking up on the side of the road and the first thing I saw was the white sheet they used to cover his little body. So yes.... I know your pain." She finished her story and shoved your foot aside before taking up your other foot.

"I'm so sorry." You said. You felt very foolish now. You thought you were alone in this. That no one understood. Estrid understood. It was why she was here. It was why she never left your side. It was why Ap'lek was the one who was quick to leave and follow Kylo. It was because they knew this pain all too well.

"I'm going to tell you what I wish someone had told me: It gets better. You are going to feel like absolute shit. You are going to want to crawl in a hole and never come out. But you can't. You can't because you have to keep on going. You have to keep on living. You _must_ keep on going, you keep on going for _them_. You keep on living _for them._ Because it is what _mothers_ do. We may not have the children to hold, but we are still mothers, and mothers keep on!" She firmly said, conviction in her words and eyes.

You understood her meaning. You understood every bit of it. You needed to pull yourself together. You needed to be strong. You recognized that you needed to mourn, you recognized that you would still wake up tomorrow in pain, but giving up was not an option. Giving up would mean Dorin won. You couldn't let him win.

You couldn't.

As far as you were concerned, Kylo was out there _doing something._ As much as you wanted him at your side, you needed to do something too. You sat up and looked at the CryoCrib. Although your heart ached, you knew what you needed to do. You needed to take the next step.

You would never forget. This pain would be with you for the rest of your life. But it wasn't going to define you.

You were going to overcome.

You were going to get your revenge.


	28. Hell Hath No Fury

The time had come. You had made your decision.

Dr. Petick, Hux, and Estrid helped you. For that you were eternally grateful. You wouldn't have been able to make a decision otherwise.

You chose a name. _Jacen._

And you chose cremation.

It was the easiest choice. It would allow you to "keep" him with you until Kylo was found and brought back. Something you were still _very_ angry about.

You and Kylo hadn't gotten around to picking out names. So you just picked one that you somewhat liked. Jacen was the name of one of the main characters from one of your favorite holodramas. It was a good and fair name. As much as it saddened you, it would have to do.

For the first time since before The Ball, you showered. Estrid did your hair and she dusted your nose with powder and put blush on your cheeks. You were finally out of your pajamas, wearing instead a simple set of leisure clothes.

You sat in the living room holding him one last time. You carefully undressed him. You wanted to keep the clothes, the blanket, and rattle. You wrapped him in the simple hospital blanket. It wasn't without tears.

You felt bad, you felt like you were taking things away from him, even though you knew that was unreasonable. You folded the little items that Kylo had secretly purchased as a gift, and you you tucked them away so that you could view them at a later time.

Everyone gathered around you. The Knights, Danka and Hux, Estrid, and even Nilly. Everyone was being solemn and respectful. You kissed Jacen once last time and placed him down in the crib. You were being brave.

No tears fell as the CryoCrib closed. Vicrul, Cardo, Ushar, and Trudgen each put their hands on top of the crib and wheeled it out of your quarters. You followed closely behind. It was a procession of sorts.

Out in the hallways, your loyal troopers lined the halls. Standing to attention out of respect. Loyal officers and lieutenants removed their hats and held them to their chests as you passed. You even saw a few tears shed. You were in awe as to how respectful everyone was.

The procession ended at the Medbay where Dr. Petick would take over. You nodded your head at the doctor who solemnly took over the CryoCrib from The Knights. You stood there as he was wheeled away.

"I'm so very proud of you." Estrid whispered to you.

"Well that's done. Now we can get to work." You said, a new found impassioned flame ignited in you.

As the crib disappeared behind closed doors, you made a vow in your heart.

You were going to make Dorin and Shadow Watch _bleed._

You were going to make them pay.

You would plunge a knife into Dorin's heart yourself if that was what it took.   
  
  


***  
  
  


You poured over the intelligence documents that you _forced_ Hux to give you. He had put up such a fight, insisting that he didn't want you to worry yourself. No. You were taking control now. You wanted to know _everything._

You wanted to _do something._ You wanted to find relief from the pain your were experiencing. You wanted to lash out. You wanted to throw a fit. You wanted to split heads and spill blood. You were _pissed._

You learned that the entirety of your former fleet had sworn itself to Dorin and the _new_ Empire. The coupe the night of the ball had been swift and effective. There were generals, admirals, and captains who where loyal to you, but they had quickly been killed or were missing.

Dorin was seeking full control of the Galaxy, several key planets are very quick to kneel in submission, but many were fighting back. Refusing to acknowledge the takeover of power. Naboo was one of those planets.

You quickly learned that Dorin was trying to declare you dead, you were not going to have that happen. In anger you wrote out a speech for yourself and you called a leadership meeting. Your "high command" looked much different now. Gone were all the Generals and Admirals.

Now it was just Hux, the Captain of The Finalizer, Danka, Estrid, Nilly, and The Knights.

"Congratulations. You lot are now the new High Command." You said to them, your tone flat and harsh as you stood at the head of the large table in the conference room you used to hold many a meetings.

"Dorin is going on saying I am dead, I most certainly am _not_ dead, and I want the Galaxy to know that. Is there any way we can sent out a mass transmission Galaxy wide?" You asked Hux.

"Yes... but it could compromise our secure advantage. Right now we have managed to destroy all tracking and communication devices on both ships that would allow the other fleet to know where we are. Sending out a message could compromise our location." Hux said.

"Then we find a new location we can quickly get in and get out of. Can that be done?" You sternly said.

"Yes... it can."Hux said.

"Kijimi." Vicrul said.

"What about it?" You asked.

"We could get in and out of there in no time. We could prerecord your message, have it delivered and broadcasted, and be out of there before the broadcast is finished." Vicrul said.

"Good. Let's do it." You said.

"When?"Hux asked.

"Now." You said your eye twitching in anger, you turned away from them all and left the room. Immediately everyone got up and followed you to The Bridge where you were fully prepared to record your speech. No one tried to stop you, they were all afraid of you right now. Danka set up the recording device and gave you a thumbs up.

"Citizens of The Galaxy. You may have heard conflicting reports about my health and whereabouts. I can assure you that despite Lord Dorin's best efforts, I am _very_ much alive and well. Lord Dorin and Shadow Watch may think that they have the upper hand. They may think that they are winning, but I can assure you **_right now_**... they will bend... they will break... and I _will_ destroy them to restore the balance and security The Galaxy has grown to love and appreciate under mine and Supreme Leader Kylo Ren's rule. And to Lord Dorin.... you _stole_ something from me. I _will_ avenge what was taken, and I _will_ make you suffer long and hard for it. This I vow." You said. Your voice laced with bitterness, hatred, and anger. You were were so threatening that Cardo and Ushar stepped away from you. With the transmission finished, Danka nodded and handed the memory device to Vicrul.

"I'll take it to Kijimi now if you want." He said.

"Yes... take it now." You ordered him, again your eye twitching. Vicrul said nothing else, he just dashed away. You then turned to Hux and Danka.

"Have you identified the aircraft they had on Coruscant?" You asked.

"Yes ma'am." Danka said, even Danka was nervous around you now.

"Good. Let's get to it then."

You learned that The First Order had built the new aircraft secretly right under your nose. Generals that had been loyal to Dorin this entire time secretly funded their construction and operations. They used four First Order moon bases as covers for factories that built the aircraft. This infuriated you.

"How did we not know about this?" You said, your hands balled into fists at your side.

"General Vilotis was in command of those stations, those stations were only supposed to provide maintenance support and radar equipment for the fleet. It would appear that he was just using that as a cover to secretly build the ships underground on the four moon bases." Hux said.

"Start priming the Superlasers." You said. Hux softly said your name in disbelief.

"Ma'am... whatever for?" Danka asked.

"We're going to blow those stations to bits." You firmly said. There was no reasoning with you, no consoling you. You were in charge right now and what you said was law. Reluctantly, Hux made the order, lest he feel your wrath. The Valiance moved out of its position next to The Finalizer and began priming the lasers. With the lasers almost fully primed, you jumped to Hyperspace, coming out right by the four moon stations.

The moon stations had just been sitting ducks. They had nothing to protect them. They most certainly had nothing to protect them from weapons of their own making.

The Valiance had been the newest ship in the entire fleet. The lasers were the most powerful, the shields were the strongest, everything about The Valiance was meant for it to be the _premiere_ ship in The Galaxy. The _deadliest_ ship in The Galaxy. Now you were going to use it.

You were going to show everyone that you could be deadly.

"Lasers are fully charged Ma'am" An officer said to you.

"Fire." You calmly said. The button was pressed and the red hue of the lasers filled the bridge, illuminating your skin and filling your eyes. You watched as the four stations were split apart in a rain of fire and rubble.

You wanted to feel satisfied. You wanted that to be enough, but it wasn't. You were out for blood, and you were insatiable.

"Confirmed destruction." The officer said.

"Perfect. Get us back to our hiding spot. That should send a message." You said.

"Good... I think that's enough for today." Hux softly said to you. He was beginning to worry about you. Since that morning, since the procession, you had just been a little ball of rage. He was used to Kylo Ren acting like this, but not you. Not you, who always wanted to find peaceful and diplomatic solutions for things. No. Now you were blowing stations and moons to bits without batting your eyelashes.

"I want a strategy prepared for tomorrow." You said turning away from him.

"A strategy?" He asked.

"A _War_ strategy." You firmly said before your heels clicked away out of The Bridge.

"Are.... are we at war?" Hux nervously said.

"We're about to be." You unflinchingly stated.

***

**_Ap'lek's POV_ **

"She didn't even flinch. I was so scared I thought I was going to shit my pants." Cardo said over the communicator as The Night Buzzard entered Tatooine's atmosphere.

"What happened after?" Kuruk asked.

"She made the order to fire up the Axial Superlasers. She didn't ask how many personnel or inhabitants were on the stations or the moons, she didn't care. She didn't even think twice when she made the order. They were blown to bits, nothing left. I overheard her tell Danka that if she could blow Coruscant she would. You have to find him and bring him back, I think she's losing it."

"Fuck..." Ap'lek said. Ap'lek remembered how Estrid was after Cade, how she drank too much wine and staggered down to the tavern that served the freighter pilot, how she held a blaster to the bartenders head.

"Tell me about it. I don't know who to be more afraid of, _her_ or Kylo." Ushar, who was also on the line, chimed in.

"Well.. good news, she can't wield a laser sword or force choke you. Try and keep her as contained as possible. I have a sneaking suspicion as to where our boy is hiding." Ap'lek said.

"Yeah... she weighs like a hundred pounds, just throw her in a weapons locker and beg for forgiveness later." Kuruk said.

"Noted." Cardo said before hanging up the line. The Night Buzzard zipped though Tatooine's atmosphere. The trail Kylo had been leaving behind had grown cold. Ap'lek and Kuruk had already checked his usual hiding spots with no luck. Ap'lek had a sneaking suspicion that there was one spot Kylo would go simply because it was the last place anyone would think to look for him.

Ap'lek made a pass around the city hoping to maybe see The Silencer somewhere. Ap'lek eventually touched down in a hangar and paid for the ship to be stored over night. The two knights marched their way into the local cantina and asked the bartender if they had seen anyone matching Kylo's description. Sure enough, they had a hit.

"Yeah... yeah.... big guy. Drank his weight in whisky last night and then staggered out alone in the desert. He didn't say much. Seemed miserable." The bartender said.

"Did he come via a ship or anything?" Kuruk asked.

"No... he walked." The bartender replied. They had all the information they needed. Ap'lek and Kuruk "borrowed" two speed bikes and made the trek out to the abandoned Moisture farm. Sure enough, in a nearby sand dune, The Silencer had crash landed.

"Dammit... it was new!" Kuruk said, motioning towards the now destroyed ship. Ap'lek was already marching himself towards the entrance of the homestead.

"Kylo! We know you're here!" Ap'lek called out, he was met with silence. Inside the homestead, decades worth of sand had accumulated. Ap'lek tried to adjust his eyesight to the dim light. He and Kuruk continued to call out, but were met with silence. Eventually, Ap'lek rounded a corner and found Kylo amongst a heap of fresh debris. A wall had been torn down, shredded by his lightsaber. Kylo was just sitting on the ground staring out into space, void of any emotion.

"Hey." Ap'lek said, reaching out and putting his hand on Kylo's shoulders.

"Fuck off." Kylo replied.

"I knew you'd say that. Kuruk owes me five credits." Ap'lek responded.

"I said fuck off."

"We're here to bring you back. We're beginning to get things sorted." Ap'lek said.

"I have to keep looking for him. He's out there." Kylo said.

"I know... I know... but we need to regroup. We have The Valiance and The Finalizer out in the unknown regions. We've gained intelligence. We know more now, we have more to go off of. You have to come back."

"No. I have to keep going, I have to keep looking for him." Kylo said.

"Come on. We came on The Night Buzzard. We can be back in two shakes." Ap'lek said.

"No. We go after Dorin, the three of us now." Kylo said, getting up and shoving Ap'lek to the side. Kylo began to pace back and forth.

"You have to go back to _her_. You two need to be together." Ap'lek said, raising his voice slightly.

"What I _need_ to do is rip the very life out of Dorin! I need to watch the life fade from his eyes! I need to crush his very bones! I need him to feel the pain I feel!" Kylo yelled, baring his teeth and flaring his nostrils. Anger radiated off of him. He fisted his hands and just huffed and puffed around the space.

"I get it. You're angry. You're pissed. I understand, but...." Ap'lek said.

"You don't fucking get it!!!" Kylo said, looking Ap'lek dead in the eye. Kylo immediately regretted his words. Ap'lek swung back and punched Kylo square in the nose, knocking Kylo back. Kylo fell backwards, his head hitting the sand. He reached up and felt blood dribbling out of his nose.

"You think you're the only man to feel this? You think you're the only one? Yeah look at you. Mr. Big Shot Supreme Leader, you ran off in your TIE fighter, you burned a few villages to the ground. You killed a few dozen gang members. Yeah. Like that's going to bring your son back. You left your wife, you dumbass! You left her to have to wake up... alone... afraid... and to the reality that her child was dead. Do _you_ know what that's like? What it's like for a mother to experience that? No... you don't. All the feelings you're feeling now... all the rage... yeah.... she's feeling them too, AND SOME." Ap'lek yelled down at Kylo, his face red with anger.

Kylo felt ashamed of himself. In his anger and rage he thought only about what _he_ wanted to do. In his mind he needed to take action. He didn't want to lose a single moment. Yet, he blinded himself to what he _really_ needed to do, where he _really_ needed to be.

"How... how is she?" Kylo softly said.

"How is she? How is she?" Ap'lek started to laugh. "Funny you should ask. She woke up three days ago. Estrid had to tell her the baby was dead. She refused to believe it, caused such a scene that the doctor had to mildly sedate her. Then... then... she refused to eat and drink. She would just stare into the CryoCrib for hours on end not speaking. Estrid came back to her room and found her standing in a pile of broken glass, clutching a bottle of pain pills, ready to take them all...."

"What...." Kylo said in disbelief.

"Oh, I'm not done. This morning, she had to make the decision to have the baby _cremated...._ alone. A decision YOU should have been there for. THEN.... THEN.... she blew up four _new Imperial_ Moon Bases using the superlasers on The Valiance and openly threatened Dorin via a Galaxy wide broadcast. THAT'S how she's doing." Ap'lek said, his face still red with anger. Kylo looked away, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, you're out here dicking around with little villages and low ranking gang members, she just went off the deep end and kicked the whole damn hornet's nest." Ap'lek added.

"Who let her do such a thing!?" Kylo said, getting up and dusting off.

"Everyone's scared shitless of her right now. Cardo said he thinks she's losing it." Kuruk added.

"The boys said she didn't even bat and eye. Didn't even care. Just watched the four moons burn like it was nothing." Ap'lek said.

"That's not like her." Kylo softly said.

"Ya think?" Ap'lek said.

"I should... I should go back." Kylo finally admitted.

"Come on. Let's go." Ap'lek reached out to him.

"I'm... I'm sorry." Kylo said.

"Save it for her." Ap'lek sternly said.

**_End Ap'lek's POV._ **

***

The Valiance blasted out of hyperspace, the superlasers already charged. You gazed down at the three light cruisers you had set for destruction.

"Fire." You said, your hands clasped behind your back.

You watched as the intense red lasers cut through the 3 light cruisers like butter. They didn't even have the opportunity to fight back. They didn't even have a chance to hail for aid.

As they crashed and burned, you smirked to yourself. First the moons, then two small warships, now a small fleet of light cruisers.

 _Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned._ You thought to yourself, your eye still twitching.

You had developed a system when it came to sneak attacks with The Valiance. Since The Valiance was such a powerful ship, you could prime the lasers, jump to light speed, jump out of light speed, blast your target, and then jump back into hyperspace all before your enemy knew what hit them. You were a dangerous knife in the dark.

The blast doors to the Bridge slid open and you heard marching footsteps. You turned and saw Hux marching towards you, still dressed in his pajamas of all things.

"What in stars name are you doing!?" He yelled.

"What does it look like." You snapped back.

"I ordered the ship back into hiding. We can't waste fuel and power reserves like this!" He was getting stern with you.

"They popped up on our radar. Crucial suppliers to the greater fleet." You said.

"It is the middle of sleeping hours! You should be in bed!"

"I CANT'T SLEEP!"

"I didn't want to have to do this." He said, shaking his head and looking down at his feet. Behind him you saw Ushar and Cardo appear. Hux really didn't want to do this. He had too much respect for you. But you were spiraling.

They all could see it. You hadn't slept. You hadn't eaten. You looked a mess. And now you were going against his advice and hurdling the ship through space, popping up here and there, attacking your enemy.

It was a _very_ dangerous game to be playing. Like poking a sleeping dragon. You were no doubt already causing a stir with the "new" Empire. You were only two ships against their entire fleet. Your _former_ fleet, who knew your ships were already under fueled, under supplied, and undermanned.

Hux had gotten confirmation from Ap'lek that they had made contact with Kylo. It was under Ap'lek's advice to do what Hux was about to do. He nodded his head and Ushar and Cardo grabbed you.

"What the fuck are you doing!? Put me down!" You screamed. Trying to kick and flail your arms and legs about.

"I'm sorry Y/N.... it's for your own good." Hux said as Cardo and Ushar carried you out of the bridge.

"CARDO. USHAR. PUT. ME. DOWN!" You shrieked. You were livid. You were furious. How _dare they!?_

"It's for your own good!" Ushar said, avoiding your fist to his face.

"We care!" Cardo said, trying to keep your ankles within his grasp.

You were dragged to your quarters. As gently, but also as quickly as they could, they pushed you though the door and sealed it shut. You pressed and pressed and pressed the button for the doors to open, but they were locked.

"We're sorry!" Ushar said from the other side.

"We love you!" Cardo said.

"Fuck you!" You yelled back at them. You quickly ran to your private entrance to your office, but you found that was locked too. You screamed into the air and pulled at your hair in frustration.

You then began to cry all over again. You cried for Jacen, you cried because your breasts were still hurting, you cried because you still didn't know where Kylo was, and you cried because you were crying.

You were a mess.

You fell to your knees and wrapped your arms around yourself, holding yourself close. Although you were crying, your eyes were heavy. You were now warring with yourself.

You crawled into the living room and grabbed the baby blanket that you left folded on the coffee table. Like a Spice addict, you brought the blanket up to your face and inhaled through your nose deeply, taking in the scent you had begun to associate Jacen with. As you exhaled, you involuntarily let out a deep sob.

You laid on the hard ground, holding the baby blanket close. You stayed that way until you fell totally asleep. 

***

You didn't know exactly how long you were passed out on the ground, but the first thing you did when you woke was to run to the doors of your quarters to see if they would open. They wouldn't. You punched the doors, bruising your knuckles in the process before deciding that alcohol was going to serve as an appropriate breakfast.

It hadn't been since Naboo that you had anything to drink, so you poured yourself a hefty glass of wine and chugged it down. You wasted no time in pouring yourself a second, and then a third. Downing each glass before the first one had a chance to hit your bloodstream yet.

After about thirty minutes, you were swaying back and forth, staggering though the rooms, turning all the lights on. You didn't want it to be dark anymore. You wanted the lights to make you feel better. You then grew sick of the still quietness, so you turned on the holoprojector and turned the volume all the way up, but that wasn't enough, so you turned on music and turned the volume all the way up on that as well.

Your world was spinning as you stood in the middle of the living room, grasping an almost empty bottle of wine. You heard the blast doors to your quarters open up, and through your drunken haze, you tall a tall dark figure slowly enter the room. You squinted and blinked as your intoxicated brain registered that it was Kylo, back from his galactic galavant.

"Hey..." He softly said, his hands extended towards you. Your first instinct was to run to him and be fully embraced by him. Your second instinct was to take the wine bottle and chuck it at his stupid face.

So that was what you did.

You sent the wine bottle hurdling across the room, he ducked and it smashed against the wall. Glass and wine splattering everywhere. Kylo looked utterly shocked, he looked at the wine covered wall, then back at you, then at the wall, then back at you. Like he couldn't believe you _actually_ chucked a whole wine bottle at his head.

"Don't." You said, extending a hand to him. He then took three strides towards you, but you stepped away. You didn't have all your motor skills anymore, so you couldn't quite move away from him fast enough before he grabbed your arm and spun you around to face him.

"Look at me!" He said. He kept one arm firmly around you and with his other hand he held your neck in place. The last time he had held you this closely the two of you had been dancing at the ball, your belly slightly in the way of things. You glanced down and noted the change, how much closer you were now. Tears immediately spilled over from your eyes and you began to cry.

Kylo loosened his grip on you and instead hugged you, you sobbed into his chest as tears fell from his own eyes wetting your hair. Both of you dropped to the floor, he wrapped himself around you, pulling you up onto his lap, both of you just sobbing.

"He's gone.... he's all gone." You sobbed.

"I know... I know..."

"And there was nothing I could do, I couldn't save him."

"There was nothing either of us could do." Kylo cried.

"I should have never gone to the ball... I should have just canceled it.... I should have..."

"No... No... There was no way we could have known."

"And then... and then you _left me._ You left met to have to do everything alone _._ " You said, pulling away from him, angry all over again.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"Why!?" You demanded to know.

"I... I..."

"Was it my fault? Do you think it's my fault? Is that why?" You demanded to know.

"No! Never!"

"Then why!?"

"I was so angry! I just wanted to track them down! I wanted to find them! I acted out of anger, and it was foolish, and I'm sorry! I won't blame you if you never forgive me." He said, hanging his head low.

Right at that moment, never forgiving him sounded like a good idea. You could easily tell him to pack his things and move back onto The Finalizer and go your separate ways. You were temped... soooo tempted. The words were right there, right at the tip of your tongue.

Instead you were going to be sick.

You got up and rushed as fast at you could to the 'fresher and hurled your guts Into the toilet. You had had too much wine. As you gagged into the toilet, the incision on your lower abdomen tugged, shooting pain through you.

You reached up and flushed the toilet while pressing your hand to your lower stomach. The incision had started to heal nicely, but it still wasn't without pain, and you still required dressing changes every few hours. You leaned back against the wall and looked up at the doorway where Kylo was now standing.

"Grab that box on the counter." You said to him. He slowly and carefully brought you the box and sat down next to you on the floor. He watched, his eyes wide as you lifted up your shirt and peeled away the bandage on your lower abdomen.

For the past day or so, Estrid was making you change your own dressings. She wanted you to do it yourself so that you could face reality. At first you thought it was cruel, but you understood her reasoning. You definitely needed to face reality.

Kylo watched as you flinched when the bandage pulled away. He let out an audible gasp when he saw the four inch incision that was left behind. Seeing the scar felt like a huge slap in the face. Ap'lek had been right. Kylo _didn't_ know what it had been like for you, what it still was like for you. For you it had been so much worse, and he had just been a fool.

"Here... let me." He said, getting up and going to the sink to wash his hands. As he washed his hands, you stood up and leaned against the sink. He then began to rummage through the box and pull out what he thought was necessary. You watched him, your senses and mind still altered by alcohol, you still wanted to be pissed and angry with him, but you really couldn't.

Kylo got on his knees and cleaned and redressed the incision with fresh bandages. Once it was done, he leaned forward and kissed the bandages, he wrapped his arms around your waist and just hugged you.

"I'm sorry. I'm so stupid and I'm sorry." He said. You just turned and walked away. You left him there kneeling on the 'fresher floor.

You went back out to the living room and got the baby blanket and rattle. You then went back into the bedroom and climbed onto the bed, clutching both tightly to your chest. Kylo slowly came out of the 'fresher and got on the bed next to you. You allowed him to wrap and arm around you and pull you close.

"When did you buy these things for him?" You asked thorough your sniffles.

"The same day I bought you your ring." He said, taking your hand and stroking his thumb over your ring. You brought the blanket up to your nose to sniff it, in doing so you couldn't help but let out another soft sob.

"I named him Jacen." You softly said.

"Jacen? That's a good name." Kylo responded.

"Yesterday I had to make a decision..."

"I know, Ap'lek told me. I would have made the same decision." Kylo said, easing your feelings over the fact that you had been worried you had made the wrong choice.

"He looked so much like you." You softly said, stroking the blanket against your aching chest.

"I thought he looked like you." Kylo chuckled. You allowed yourself to relax against Kylo, you were still very angry with him for running off, but part of you also understood that that was his nature. Always one to have a knee jerk reaction. You also didn't really have a right to hold it over his head considering the fact that you had your own day of destruction.

The two of you stayed in bed for the rest of the day, taking turns holding each other and the blanket. You cried together and just talked about the baby, all the things you noticed about him, the little details that you would forever etch into your memories. Kylo told you about the villages and the gang members he went after, you told him about the moons and the ships you blew up.

As the day drew to a close, the both of you were on a path towards healing. It sure as hell wasn't going to be an easy or a quick path. Now that the two of you were together, you would be able to walk it together.

The two of you agreed on the same thing: You both were going to make Dorin pay.  
  
  
  
  
  


***********   
  
  


**A/N**

**Hi, it's me again, your favorite anxious fanfic writer.**

**So, for the umpteenth time, I really hope I'm doing this part of the story justice. I sincerely hope I am converting things right and appropriately. I spent the past three days on this chapter and I scrapped it and rewrote it twice. So I hope it came out well!!!**

**I've also noticed a ton of new readers recently, I want to personally welcome you all! Where are you all coming from!?**

**xoxo,**

**Nia** 💋


	29. War

The frustrating thing about grief and emotions is that they aren't linear. You don't feel them or process them the same way someone else might. There's no "right" way to feel these things. This was something Estrid told you.

You realized how right she was after you fell asleep in Kylo's arms the first night he came back, but later you woke up in the middle of the night and turned to him and you were angry with him all over again. You wanted to kick him out of the bed and make him sleep on the couch. But you decided to be _slightly_ petty.

Instead YOU got up. Ripped the blanket off the bed without waking him, and you slept on the couch in the living room. That way, when he woke up in the morning, he would feel bad that _you_ slept on the couch.

It was petty and childish... but you didn't care. He left you for a week. You still loved him... you still wanted him... but he wasn't fully in your good graces yet.

You woke up the following morning to Kylo standing over you with a heartbroken look on his face. You just yawned and rolled over, covering your head with the blanket. Taking your hint, Kylo sulked back to bed, leaving you to have the main living space for yourself.

Eventually you got up and made yourself coffee and went into the bedroom where Kylo was sitting up in bed with his arms crossed over his chest and a grumpier look than usual on his face.

"You left me. I was cold." He said.

"Doesn't feel too good now does it?" You smirked before locking yourself in the 'fresher to shower. You allowed the steam from the shower to fill up the room as you sipped on your coffee. You then peeled out of your clothes and took your bandages off before stepping into the water. It felt good to let the hot water melt away just a little bit of your tension.

After taking an excessively long shower, you dried yourself off, put on fresh bandages, wrapped yourself in a towel and walked out into the bedroom. Kylo was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands.

"I thought you weren't angry with me anymore." He said.

"I'm not excessively angry with you... I'm just still annoyed." You said as you made your trek towards your closet.

"Where are you going?" Kylo asked.

"War council meeting." You said as you started to rummage through your clothes.

"A _war council_ meeting!?"He said, a bit flabbergasted.

"Yes?" You said, as if it was no big deal what so ever that you were planning a war council meeting.

"Who said..."

"I did." You sternly said, walking over to your closet door and pressing the button for it to close. You finished getting ready alone in your closet. When you emerged, you were surprised to see Kylo pulling on a pair of pants, his hair damp from a speedy shower he took.

"I'm coming with you." He said as he zipped his pants.

"Fine." You said, leaving him behind and making your way out of your quarters, through the halls, and to the council room. All while Kylo sulked behind you. You were keeping him at an arms length away, only giving him one word answers, stepping away from him whenever he tried to grab your hand.

Yeah... you were still being petty.

Everyone was present when you arrived for the meeting. You sat down in your seat and motioned for the meeting to commence. No one made any remarks when it came to Kylo's previous absence... oh but you were.

"General Hux... Would you be so kind as to bring the Supreme Leader up to date with what he's missed while he went on his... _trip."_ You said. You could already sense how perturbed Kylo was getting with you.

"Certainly, Ma'am..." Hux said. Hux then started to recap everything that you already knew. Even informing Kylo that the intelligence you had gotten on Shadow Watch had come from The Resistance. Kylo sat in the seat next to you, his hand up under his nose as he listened intently. He asked a few questions which Hux was able to answer. It took about fifteen minutes to get Kylo up to speed but once that was done, you could move on to current affairs.

"Queen Magda and Senator Noaala have made a public denouncement of Dorin and Shadow Watch. Nabooian forces were able to apprehend the Admirals that we had stationed on Naboo who turned out to be loyal to Dorin. So... as far as we know now, the troops and the bases on Naboo now are allied with us, as is Naboo." Hux said.

"That's great news." You said.

"Yes, we are receiving similar stories from several other planets, but Naboo is by far the largest to stand in open rebellion against Dorin. I wanted to make the suggestion that we move The Valiance and The Finalizer to Naboo. We only have enough food rations and supplies to split between the two ships to last us three weeks." Hux added.

"It would be too dangerous to keep the ships in orbit around Naboo. At any time the greater fleet could show up." Kylo added.

"This is also a concern of mine... _but,_ we have no other ally able to support us like Naboo can. The only other formal alliance proposal that has come in.... has come from The Resistance." Hux nervously said.

"What?" Kylo said.

"When did this happen?" You asked.

"Over night... General Organa sent over a proposal."Hux said, pushing over documents towards both you and Kylo. Kylo immediately grabbed them and began to pour over them. Your face softened towards Kylo when you saw how wide his eyes got reading the words from his mother. You peered over his shoulder to also read.

In Leia Organa's own words she denounced Dorin and the Coupe. She admitted to past differences between the First Order and The Resistance. But at the end of it all... she admitted something more. She admitted that she had begun to believe that rulership under You and Kylo might be what was best for the galaxy.

"I don't believe it." Kylo said, shoving the paperwork back onto the desk.

"It's unprecedented, I know." Hux said.

"It's a load of lies. She would never say any of this to me." Kylo said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Perhaps... because much has changed." Danka chimed in.

"The Resistance did come to our aid on Coruscant, and they freely handed over all the intelligence they had on Shadow Watch, which was more than we had." Hux said.

"What if she's doing this to just take me down?" Kylo huffed. You knitted your eyebrows together and looked at him with concern on your face. This was a real possibility, but also there was also the possibility that Organa was being sincere.

It had been your goal from the beginning to win people over. To prove to your opposers that you were different, that the galaxy could be different. You didn't want to be like Snoke, or the Emperor, no... You wanted your rule to be one where people actually looked up to you and you proved their fears wrong. Could it be that it already worked when it came to your longest held enemy?

You reached under the table and put a hand on Kylo's knee. He immediately shot you a look, startled at the fact that you _actually_ were touching him.

"We really can't afford to be picky when it comes to allies right now. General Hux did mention to me that Organa had been trying to get in contact with us for weeks leading up to the attack. This might be an option worth exploring, even if it's just a _temporary_ means to an end." You said to him. Kylo put his hand on yours and sat back in his seat to think.

"Explore it further. I want more information." Kylo said.

"Oh course sir." Hux said.

More things were discussed, including what the New Empire was up to. Dorin was methodically attacking key planets that held critical resources and vantage points. He was mass executing anyone who spoke out against him, as well as eradicating any alien species _he_ felt to be inferior. The Galaxy was in an all out civil war at this point. People were changing sides every day.

It was only a matter of time before Dorin would turn his attentions to Naboo, so aligning with Naboo now would be critical. Both you and Kylo agreed to take up the official alliance with Naboo and move the ships there for resupplying and refueling. You also agreed on making a formal declaration of war.

With the meeting adjourned, you got up and began maming your way to the Medbay. You had an appointment with Dr. Petick.

"Where are you going?" Kylo softly asked as you walked passed him.

"Medbay. To see Dr. Petick." You said.

"May I come with you?" He said, his eyes wide and his face soft.

"Yes." You said without a second thought. You wanted to hold his hand as you walked, but you also wanted to still be mad at him. You could tell that you were hurting him now by being cold and distant. Part of you felt bad, you didn't _want_ to hurt him, but he had hurt you by leaving you.

Down in the Medbay, Dr. Petick met you and offered his condolences for the five millionth time in the past week. This was hopefully going to be your last visit with Dr. Petick.

You undressed in the exam room and donned a medical exam gown. This was going to be a rather _thorough_ exam, for which you asked Kylo to just wait out in the hallway.

Your stitches were removed and Bacta applied to the incision. Then Dr. Petick, with Nurse Cambra holding your hand, did the unsavory internal exam. With all that over and done with, you got up and nervously looked at Dr. Petick who motioned for Kylo to be let back in the room.

Once Kylo came back into the room, he went right to your side and took your hand.

"Well... the good news is everything is healing nicely. As the days go by, you'll start to feel your body go back to your pre-pregnancy state, when you feel ready, you can resume regular activities. As for your milk coming in, that will take time to subside, just keep doing what you're doing and it will subside. I know it's very hard, but you're doing well." Dr. Petick told you, his voice soft and his face kind. With that, your visit was over and the doctor and nurse left you and Kylo alone.

Keeping your back to Kylo, you started to redress. You could feel his eyes on you as you put on your clothes and stepped into your shoes. You almost didn't want to turn to him.

"What... what did he mean by... milk?" Kylo asked when you finally turned around. You sighed and explained to him what your body was doing, what it had done and gone through, what it still was going through.

By the time you were finished, he was pale as a sheet. He got up and left the room, marched down the hall. You said goodbye to Dr. Petick and then went to follow him.

When you got back to your quarters you walked into the room being trashed. Kylo had over turned the coffee table and sent a few vases flying. He was kneeling on the floor sobbing.

"I'm such an ass!! I'm worthless and dumb!" He yelled.

"Well when you do shit like this!" You said motioning to the mess he had made and feeling angry all over again. You had dealt with him trashing rooms before and before you were patient and kind, but now.... now you were angry.

Kylo practically crawled over to you and knelt in front of you. He looked up at you, remorse and regret written all over his face. He was literally groveling at your feet. You wanted to yell at him and be angry, but you were emotionally exhausted.

You put your hands on your hips and sighed. You averted your eyes to look up at the ceiling as you tried to blink away tears.

"You're not an ass... and you're not worthless." You broke. Kylo leaned forward and wrapped his arms around your legs, hugging you and bringing his face into your stomach. You finally looked down at him as he was crying into your clothes. A few tears of your own fell and hit his hair. You pushed his hair back out of his face and urged him to look up at you.

"I'm... I'm sorry." He sobbed.

"I forgive you... I'm hurting, but I forgive you." You say. You slid down so that the both of you were on the ground together and you reached out and hugged him back. Just like the day before, the two of you just sat there holding each other and crying.

You realized that it wouldn't make things better by continuing to hold it over his head that he ran off. It was wrong, you made it known that you were very unhappy and hurt by it, but you could no longer dwell on it. You two were about to go to war against a massive enemy. You couldn't be at war with each other, not when _all you had_ was each other.

You ran your hands through his hair and cupped the side of his face. For some reason you remembered the memory of the first time you kissed. How back then your world was also falling to pieces, yet in that darkness and chaos you two found each other. You ran your thumb over his lips as you had done a million times before.

"That was one of the happiest day of my life." He said reading your thoughts.

"Mine too." You smiled through tears. The two of you started into each other's eyes for a moment longer, your gaze eventually shifting to his lips then back to his eyes.

"Do you remember the week we had... when Snoke left and it was just you and me?" Kylo asked.

"That was one of the best weeks of my life."

"I wanted to kiss you then... I wanted you then... _badly_. Looking back I think even back then I loved you... I still love you."

"Oh... Ky... I know you do, and I still love you." You sniffled.

"You told me you were worried about what would happen to you... who would take care of you? I said I would. I said I would take care of you. That was a promise and I meant it... I still mean it. Even though I feel like I failed when it was most important." He shamefully looked down at the ground.

"Neither of us are perfect. We make mistakes." You hooked your finger under his chin and forced him to look at you.

"Will you ever forgive me?" He begged.

"I already have." You said, closing the gap between you two and kissing him tenderly. He melted into your kiss, relieved and grateful for your forgiveness. He pulled you tight against him and you equally pulled him tight against you.

Time ceased to move as you to held each other as tightly as you could. You kissed and cried, and kissed away each other's tears. The Galaxy, The Force, who you both were, they meant nothing in that moment. The only thing that mattered was that the two of you were together. That you had genuinely forgiven him. You were still hurting, part of you was still mad, but you decided to let it go.

As you reminded yourself before, it was his nature to act. It was his nature to be impulsive and protective and fierce. It was why you loved him. It would be wrong for you to try and change who he naturally was. You already knew that others had tried to do that. They tried to change him, they refused to except his nature. No. Not you. You loved _all_ of him.

The good and the bad.   
  
  


**********   
  
  


**A/N**

**Hey guys I hope you all had a wonderful week. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Since some of you know that I like to "cast" some of the characters, some have asked if I cast Danka and Nilly. I was taking my time to find the perfect people and I have! So I Just wanted to let you know.**

**Also to my Ao3 readers. This story was originally posted on Wattpad first, I began moving everything over here. So I am going to be adding the "cast" that I have for the Knights as well... so look for that soon!!! It might be adjusted to be part of Chapter 7. "The Guys" so head back over to that chapter to see who I picked!**

**Danka**

**Played by Ana de Armas**

  
  
  
  
  
**Nilly**

**Played by Zendaya**

  
  
**Nilly's tattoos**

  
  
**I hope you all have a blessed and wonderful week! Please stay safe and healthy and make joyous memories with your families!**

**xoxo,**

**Nia** 💋


	30. Traitors

You gazed down at Naboo from the large windows in your office. This lush green planet with its meadows and waterfalls. It's natural beauty and rich history. This planet that once made you so happy, was now making you sad.

Yesterday you had no problem when Hux made the recommendation you bring the ships to Naboo for refueling and resupplying; but now that you were gazing down at the planet, you were feeling conflicted in your heart.

You hadn't spent much time on the plant. Only a few days. Yet in those few days months ago, your life changed forever.

There was happiness associated with Naboo. Happy and joyous memories you had. But now... now they were clouded by sorrow and misery.

You heard the doors to your office open. You expected it to be Danka. So sure you were in your expectation, that you didn't bother to turn around. So when large, black gloved hands snaked around your waist from behind, you jumped.

"Oh... it's you. I thought you were Danka." You said, leaning backwards to support some of your weight against Kylo's chest.

"Are you saying I look like your assistant?" Kylo chuckled.

"No!" You chuckled. "I was just lost in thought and she usually comes in this time." You squeezed Kylo's hands.

"I... wouldn't be surprised if you didn't see her until later."

"Why?" You said turning to look up at him.

"Vicrul had night security shift. He said he saw her sneaking out of Hux's rooms at 3 in the morning."

"Oh my stars.... What have I done!?" You laughed. You genuinely laughed. You couldn't remember the last time you actually laughed.

"I have to be honest, he's been more pleasant to be around lately since that started." Kylo chuckled. You turned all the way around in Kylo's arms so that you were facing him. You wrapped your arms around his slim waist and you pressed your cheek against his chest, squeezing him tightly.

"Does Naboo upset you?" Kylo asked before kissing the top of your head.

"A little yes. I just... I just don't want to stay in that same room we stayed in on that base." You said.

"I understand. I don't want to either." Kylo was stroking your back now, you lifted yourself up on your tiptoes to kiss him. You knew it was almost time to leave and oversee the ship's entrance into the atmosphere, but you almost didn't want to.

After your breakthrough with Kylo after your doctor's appointment two days prior. You allowed yourself grace for a day. You didn't leave your rooms and instead did things that made you feel good.

You took a long hot bath. You listened to soft music. You painted your nails. You watched a few episodes of your favorite holodrama. All of these things Kylo also joined in on; he stayed nearby with you while you had your day of self care.

The two of you snuggled up on the couch for the holodrama. Later, Kylo made a steak, noodles with a decadent cheese sauce, and steamed veggie dinner that night. It felt good to just take the time for yourselves and not report in for any duties for the day.

You wished you could just continue that day. But life had to go on. You couldn't just run away from it all, not while Dorin lived and breathed. Not while The Galaxy was bleeding and crying out from his actions.

"Are you ready?" Kylo asked you.

"Yeah." You sighed, pulling away form him and taking his hand. The two of you held hands as you walked down to the bridge.

Arrangements had been made for The Valiance to land in one of the only facilities on Naboo large enough to accommodate the ship. The only time The Valiance would ever be vulnerable would be while it was landed. You had hope that leaving The Finalizer in orbit, maybe that would give you a fighting chance in the event of an attack. At any time Dorin and the New Imperial Fleet could hear of this and show up. You needed to figure out alternatives.

"Sir... Ma'am." Hux said to you both as you approached the front of the bridge.

"This is a huge gamble." Kylo said.

"Yes. It is. And I don't like it. But the refueling required cannot be done in orbit. There is a possibility we can do a rapid refuel and get the ship back up in orbit in less than 24 hours. As for resupplying we can always utilize shuttles." Hux said.

"I think that might be wise. Keeping the downtime to the bare minimum for The Valiance should be the utmost priority. Would it be possible to over stock The Finalizer when it's the Finalizer's turn for refueling so that supplies can be distributed between the two ships?" You asked.

"That is a possibility."Hux said.

"Yes. We should focus on The Valiance's refueling. Getting The Valiance back in orbit as soon as possible is our number one priority." Kylo said.

"Agreed." Hux said.

"Sir... Ma'am... General... we are beginning our entrance into the atmosphere. Launching landing protocols." A nearby officer said. The three of you nodded at the officer and then watched out the windows as the ship entered the Nabooian atmosphere.

The ship glowed red as it passed through the layers of atmosphere. You stood comfortably between Kylo and Hux, both men also gazing out the glass, listening attentively to reports and numbers coming in as the ship made its descent. Behind you you heard the blast doors open and the sound of heels walking up the walk way.

"I'm sorry I'm late. My apologies." Danka said to you.

"Sneaking around in the dead of night I'm told. Did you even get any sleep?" You whispered to her. Danka nervously chuckled and glanced at Hux. She shrugged her shoulders and gave you and expression that said: "Not really."

It was kind of cute how embarrassed both Hux and Danka got over the situation whenever it was brought up. Both of them were always notoriously professional and "business as usual" all the time. It was comical to learn they were not so secretly sneaking around with each other.

It didn't take much longer for the ship to reach the planet's surface. With the landing protocols done and the ship powering down, the frantic work to get the ship refueled and partially resupplied could now be done. Kylo put his arm around your waist and pulled you tightly to his side. He had been noticeably more publicly affectionate with you today, you weren't complaining.

It was now time to depart the ship and head over to the base on Naboo. The base that was now apparently loyal to you. You were skeptical and you were nervous.

Things were more subdued for your arrival to Naboo this time. No large crowds gathered. No music. Instead there were a few nervous loyal citizens who gathered by the small dozens just to see the ship.

You heard a few call out your name as you and Kylo were quickly ushered off the ship to a waiting transport. You were entirely surrounded by the Knights and some Troopers for protection, yet you still heard them.

"We're sorry for you loss your Grace's!"

"We cry with you!" You heard them call out. You felt your throat tighten. The public clearly knew about your loss, and some of the public mourned with you. It made you feel some sort of way. Almost happy. Happy as in... loved... appreciated.

You gripped Kylo's hand tightly and clung to his arm once you were safely inside the transport. He looked down at you and gave you a reassuring smile before kissing the top of your head. The transport began to move taking you to the base where you were to meeting with Senator Noaala and Queen Magda.

Outside the window you could see that a battle clearly had been waged between First Order forces and Nabooian. The First Order properties you were familiar with from your last visit were severely damaged and manned now by Nabooian forces. This was to be expected since the Nabooian government ridded the planet of Shadow Watch loyalists.

"I have assigned one of our Trooper captains from The Valiance to inspect the remaining Troopers that claim loyalty to us. Those who acted in treachery will be... dealt with." Hux stated.

"I will be personally interrogating the Generals and Admirals who betrayed us here." Kylo said.

"General Hyanna was in charge here correct?" You asked.

"Correct." Both Hux and Kylo said.

"He and his wife congratulated me the night of the ball. I would like to personally see General Hyanna before you two do anything." You sternly said.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Kylo softly asked you.

"Yes. I am certain." You responded.

You were transported to a secure location where the Senator and Queen were waiting. Both the Queen and Senator expressed their condolences towards you and Kylo and they were both firm when it came to Naboo's loyalty towards you.

You quickly got to work with the meeting for the day. Topics of what Dorin had done and what he was doing to the Galaxy were discussed. All matters pertaining towards how Naboo would support you were also discussed at length. Things seemed very solid and secure. You felt good about this alliance.

With the lengthy meeting over and done with, it was time to go see the prisoners. The former generals and commanders of the base on Naboo. You went with Kylo and the Knights down to the lower belly of the base where the former leaders were being kept. 

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kylo asked you one more time as the elevator doors opened. 

"I am certain." You had been mentally preparing yourself all day for this. 

You remembered how General Hayanna and his wife gave you such wide smiles when you saw them again at the Ball. You had originally met them during your first visit of Naboo. You remembered that they looked so happy for you. Did they know the entire time that your life was about to be ruined forever that night? Did they know what was going to happen? Were they lying to your face the entire time? These were questions you wanted to know. 

There were many questions you had about everything. Part of you knew that you would probably never get the answers to most of them. You sure as hell was going to ask the ones that you could. 

This was the same base you knew that that first Shadow Watch gang member who attacked you in the club was taken to. It was damp and dark. It smelled of rat piss and mildew. You squinted your eyes to try and adjust to the dim lighting. 

The first door was opened and inside, chained to the wall, was General Hyanna. He was a middle aged man with salt and pepper brown hair. He was in rough shape, his uniform soiled and dirty, and he was sporting a black eye and split lip.

The general looked up and saw you and Kylo standing in the doorway. He sat up, laughed, and then spit at your feet. Both you and Kylo frowned at this. 

"So... you're harder to kill than we thought." Hyanna said to you specifically. 

"And liars and delivers are the lowest of creatures in the Galaxy." You said.

"You probably have questions. I sure as hell am not going to give them to you. You're better off killing me." Hyanna laughed.

"Where's you wife?" You asked, entering the cell and crossing your arms over your chest. Your heels echoed in the space as you looked around the dismal room. You kept your head high, keeping yourself mightier than Hyanna. You let the question sit in for a moment before you looked at Hyanna, who's face had changed significantly. 

"Your wife looked so elegant and beautiful the night of the ball. She was wearing a sapphire blue gown with a sequined encrusted bodice and she had feathers on the hemline. Her hair..." You stopped to chuckle. "She went on about how she sat for hours to have it done that day. And you... you beamed with pride, interjecting that you loved what she did to her hair. Tell me General Hyanna... do you love your wife?" 

"What kind of fucking question is that!? Are you threatening my wife? My family? They're private citizens!" Hyanna said in anger.

"That depends General.... it depends on if you answer our questions." Kylo said.

"We already know where your family is. Where your wife is... your children... your grandchildren... all we have to do is say the word and the Knights of Ren will ensure they never see another day again." You lied. You had no idea where the General's family was, and The Knights were right outside the cell out of sight. The General began to quake in his boots.

"My family is proud to die for The Empire." Hyanna said, despite showing outward signs of terror.

"The Empire was destroyed, we will snuff it out again." Kylo said. 

"You two are fools. Blind fools. Children... pretending to be Gods. Neither of you are fit to rule to galaxy. You don't have the birth right... and you... you come from a long line of failures." Hyanna said, first to you then Kylo. 

"Lord Dorin is the only one fit to rule this Galaxy. He will be the one to fulfill the aspirations of our late Emperor. Inferior species and humans will be snuffed out. Inferior humans like you two. Your little plans were cute and all, but it's time the Galaxy was purged. It's a good thing your little spawn didn't live. It would have grown up as an inferior, a mutt. It would have just..." Hyanna didn't have time to speak any more, you had revealed your little blaster that Estrid had given you and you shot Hyanna square in the forehead. 

His limp body flopped forward, the weight of it supported by the chains that restrained him to the wall. Your hand with the blaster in it was still extended. You didn't hesitate, you did quake, and you most certainly didn't regret it. 

"I didn't get to interrogate him." Kylo said with disappointment after a moment. 

"Don't even bother with the rest of them. Just rip their minds to shreds." You said, turning on your heel and leaving the room. 

You stood by the elevator and listened to the screams of the others while Kylo and the Knights went though one by one and tore out whatever information they wanted from them. When they were done, all the traitors were swiftly executed. Kylo didn't even break a sweat to take the information he needed. When he was done he came back out and put his arm around you and the two of you walked away from the mess. 

Kylo was able to get a lot of information out of this group. Shadow Watch believed that only a certain class or group of people were superior. The rest were deemed inferior.

These Sith Cultists wanted to rid the Galaxy of any inferior race or species. Hyanna and many like him believed in "genetic purity". They had arranged their marriages to align with producing children and a lineage deemed "acceptable". The ultimate plan was to enact a "Great Purge" a "Final Act". 

Most of the Galaxy would be up for destruction. 

You and Kylo weren't going to let that happen. 

*******

A/N

Hey guys. Sorry for the short chapter. I really hope I'm not hitting writers block! I already know how the story is going to end, we just have to get there!

Any who, I hope you all are doing well and I hope this chapter and the last one wasn't too boring!

xoxo,

Nia 💋


	31. Together

The Valance was able to be refueled and partially resupplied in a record 15 hours. 15 was a new galactic record. Hux and Kylo were practically leaping for joy at hearing they had broken some sort of long held record when it came to ships and whatnot.

You got The Valiance back up in orbit and brought The Finalizer down for the same treatment. You all could breathe however with The Valiance back in orbit, with her guns charged, shields up, and radar scanning the system for potential threats.

Naboo offered you all asylum, meaning you could now stay for as long as you needed. In addition to the support from Naboo, other sovereign planets declared loyalty to you and Kylo and sent over their emissaries as well as support in the form of weapons, soldiers, or even ships.

You gazed up into the bright Nabooian sky and saw not only The Valiance but nearly a dozen other ships from other systems who sent their independent ships to have your back.

You had now been on Naboo for two weeks as discussions and plans were being made. You chose to take a back seat to all the planning and discussions. As fierce as you started off, you needed time to rest for yourself. You let Kylo, Hux, and The Knights take care of the finer details and tense meetings. You had by no means lost your fire inside to take down Dorin, but you quickly realized you needed to allow yourself time to recover mentally and physically from what you went though.

Every evening since you arrived to Naboo, Danka and Kylo would meet with you to get you briefly up to speed on what was going on. Hux and Kylo were now trying to work with what felt like a rag tag army of Troopers, Nabooian soldiers, and other random soldiers and fighters sent to you by Allies.

You spent most of your days alone in the small villa that Senator Noaala privately granted you and Kylo access to. It was a distance from Theed, the security was up to Kylo's standards, and it was lovely to just be in a tranquil and calm environment. At first Estrid and Nilly joined you, but Estrid and Nilly were given an assignment to find other potential allies or people who could provide finances.

Estrid went back to work sitting in luxury bars listening to the gossip of the Galaxy to see if she could gather more intel. Nilly went back to The Crimson Dawn to see if Mistress Q'ira, their leader, would possibly support the cause. You now found yourself relaxing on the back porch of the small villa with your feet up, soaking up the sunshine.

Every once in a while you would unconsciously find yourself rubbing your stomach, a habit you had picked up and still hadn't put down yet. You would often catch yourself doing it and get sad all over again. You frowned when you looked down at your hand doing just that. Things were still hard, but they were indeed getting easier.

Dr. Petick returned Jacen's ashes to you and Kylo a few days prior. _That_ was a hard day, to hold a tiny silver vial that contained what remained. You kept the vial locked away amongst your belongings. It wasn't that you didn't want to look at it, you just needed time.

You stretched your arms and legs out, preparing to get up and go back inside. You could hear the marching sound of a few stormtroopers who were getting ready to do their hourly patrol of the villa grounds. You disliked being outside for that, since they would always stop and greet you. It wasn't that you didn't appreciate them, you just didn't want any human interaction today.

Inside the Villa you took in the lovely decor. Senator Noaala had his painted eggs fully on display in an intricate cabinet. As much as you and Kylo made fun of him previously for the obscure hobby, you did have to admit they were quite beautiful. As you passed the cabinet that held his collection, you passed a wall of family photos.

Senator Noaala had a large family, he had a wife, several children, and several grandchildren. You gazed at little baby pictures and pressed your hand to your heart. Would you ever get that joy to hold a living and breathing child? It wasn't something you had ever wanted before, but when it came down to it, it was now something your heart ached for.

You heard the doors to the villa open up and the distinct sound of Kylo's footsteps. You turned ready to greet him, but upon seeing his disgruntled face, you knew he had a lot weighing on his mind.

"Is everything ok?" You said, going over to him. He had flopped down on the nearby couch and was pinching the bridge of his nose.

"The Resistance showed up today." He said.

"They did?" You sat down beside him and curled your legs up under you so you could lean like tight little ball into his arms.

"Well... not all of them... they sent 3 representatives. But... their ship is in orbit." He said, pointing upwards.

"Oh...." Kylo leaned forward and rubbed his hand over his face before looking back at you. You could tell he was about to say something, he was just searching for the words.

"I have something I need to tell you. I've been meaning to tell you. It wasn't that I was keeping it from you... it's just... it hasn't been the right time." He said taking your hand in his.

"What is it?" Your heart was already pumping out of your chest and you were suddenly nervous.

"There's a reason Shadow Watch has also been attacking The Resistance. We know what the reason is now." He started off.

"Yeah...?"

"Your... your sister... She's alive."

" _What!?"_ You said in disbelief

"Yes... she... she's the girl... the scavenger girl who killed Snoke." You jerked your hand away from Kylo and searched his eyes intently. How... how was this possible?

"What!? How!? Are you certain!?" You asked, your voice reaching a louder volume.

"The details aren't clear to me, but it's true. Dorin knows, he admitted it himself. While I was fighting him on Coruscant she turned up and engaged him, giving me time to get away and get to you. Apparently you and her are only half siblings. Your father had to leave her on Jakku for whatever reason after you were taken." Kylo explained.

"So... Sola... she's alive... is she here?" You asked, getting a bit excited.

"She goes by Rey now, and yes, she was one of the ones who came today. The Resistance is really trying hard to push for an alliance now. I just... I just don't know if I can trust them." Kylo said. You sat back against the couch cushion in disbelief. All this time you thought your sister and your parents perished when Phasma and Snoke came and took you away. You thought for certain they were all dead, but somehow... somehow they survived.

People in your family were proving to be very difficult people to kill.

Kylo abruptly got up and began to pace around the room. He huffed and puffed, and ran his fingers through his hair.

"My mother... my mother... she never... she was never _there_ for me. Like she was... and she wasn't. She was always off taking care ofThe Galaxy. The galaxy was her child really. I wasn't. I was just a nuisance to her, something she was always worried and scared about. Then she shipped me off with my uncle, she didn't want to deal with me herself. She said I was 'too much' for her. That I was 'beyond her abilities' or whatever." He said, his voice starting to get passionate.

"You know... I tried... I tried to tell her what was going on with me at first. The voice... Snoke's voice in my head. I wanted to tell her, I got so close on so many occasions, but she was always so damn busy! She would just brush me away, tell me we would talk 'later'. Whatever later meant to her. She never slowed down enough to _really_ look at me, if she had just _really_ looked she would have seen." Kylo huffed, you could hear his voice breaking as he spoke. This was something that really bothered him deep down. Something that he rarely ever spoke about.

You knew Kylo's story, yet you never pushed him to talk about it. He would always talk about it on _his_ terms. Which you felt was important. You didn't want to yank things out of him that he wasn't ready to give, you wanted him to give you things willingly.

"Now... now she claims she's here's for me. Now..." He put his hands on his hips and continued to pace the room while grumbling the word "now".

"I'm sorry..." You softly replied.

"Why now!?" Kylo shouted into the air. He continued to pace back and forth while you began to choose your words carefully.

"They say.... that hindsight is twenty twenty, that it's easier to look back at the past and see how you could have improved. Maybe that's what's happened. Maybe she knows she messed up and she's seeing it now and she's understanding now. A lot has changed." You found yourself saying. Kylo did one last pace of the room before he came back over to you and gently nudged you to lay down on the couch. He got over you and just laid on top of you, resting his head on your chest.

"I don't know if I can trust them... or her." He softly said.

"Maybe they can earn our trust. We need all the help we can get." You combed your fingers through his hair and massaged his scalp.

"Maybe." He replied. You could feel him calming down, his heartbeat slowing with his breathing. You started to hum a soft song as you played with his hair with one hand and stoked his back with the other.

"You're so good at that." He softly said.

"Good at what?"

"Keeping me balanced... calming me down... it's like you have magic." He lowly said, lifting his head up and resting his chin right between your breasts. You looked down at him and just smiled, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

"I guess I'm special." You chuckled. Kylo shifted his weight, it was innocent, but it pushed your legs apart as he got comfortable between them. You sharply sucked in a breath of air, warmth pooling in your core, and nervousness creeping up on you. You were no longer in physical pain from what you had endured. After Bacta treatments, Dr. Petick cleared you for "regular activities". What you felt now was all mental. A sudden unease about the thought of being intimate again.

"What's wrong?" Kylo asked, seeing the expression on your face change.

"Nothing... nothing. I'm fine." You lied, switching on a smile for him. He shifted his weight again, this time just moving to turn his head to rest on your chest again. You knew he wouldn't dare try anything until you were ready, part of you wanted to be ready, but the other part was still in mourning.

"So... my sister." You said, changing the topic now that Kylo was calm again.

"Right! We meet with them again tomorrow to discuss more options. You're welcome to come if you want."

"I'll think about it." You responded. You really were going to think about it. You weren't sure if you were ready yet to face your long lost sister. You also weren't sure if facing her during a political meeting would be the best place to do so.

You were _really_ going to think about it.

***

**_Kylo's POV_ **

Everyone rose to attention when Poe Dameron, Kaydel Ko Connix, and Rey entered the meeting room at the base. It was unusual for everyone involved. For Kylo and Hux it was unusual to have their usual enemy sitting across from them... at peace. For Dameron, Connix, and Rey; it was unusual to be _welcomed_ onto a First Order base with no one pointing a blaster at them.

Kylo watched as Rey's eyes searched the room and then he saw as disappointment flooded her face.

"She's not here. She does however... want to arrange something." Kylo interjected towards Rey.

"Oh... oh... of course." Rey said. Kylo smoothed the front of his shirt before sitting back down in his seat.

Y/N wasn't fully ready to throw herself into the arms of her long lost sister just yet. She was still going though a lot mentally and emotionally. Kylo knew that for certain. He pretended he didn't actually hear her sniffling to herself and using the sheets to wipe away tears in the dead of night, or that he didn't see her clutching the baby blanket when she thought she was alone. He did his best to comfort her when he could and when she wanted it, but as Ap'lek said, time would be the only cure.

Kylo made sure now to always be there for Y/N when she needed him, but she did have her moments where solitude was what she wanted. And he respected that. This week it seemed like solitude was what she wanted most. She assigned Danka to take care of daily duties and report to her in the evenings, but all day she stayed at the villa just lounging in the gardens.

To Kylo, she did seem to be getting better. She smiled more now and it was easier to make her laugh. It was getting better for the both of them, although he knew that the sadness would never really go away as long as they lived.

"Shall we begin?" Hux said, motioning for the start of the meeting.

The day before Kylo and Hux raised a number of concerns when it came to a potential alliance with The Resistance. These concerns couldn't be answered or responded to right away, so the meeting had to be adjourned. Dameron started first with addressing the concerns from he previous day.

So far it sounded like The Resistance was more than willing to be accommodating. Their willingness, although good news to some, still made Kylo suspicious. No matter what, he was always going to be suspicious of them. He couldn't help but hold biases.

The Resistance wanted what Kylo wanted, and that was the destruction of Dorin, Shadow Watch, and all the traitors. Yet... there was still once question that neither side could find an answer to.

What happens after? If they are successful, would The Resistance be willing to continue to kneel to Kylo and Y/N's rule? Or would they go back to being enemies?

No one could answer this.

"The fact of the matter is... we don't know what the future holds... and it would be impossible for us to make promises when we don't even know if our first plan of action will be successful." Connix said.

"Yet you're coming to us now. Why is it you can kneel to us now, but not promise to continue to do so? Are you only here because it is convenient for _your_ agenda? What changed?" Hux asked.

"We are here under direct orders from General Organa herself. We are as shocked as you are by this sudden... _friendliness_... but we support it. We truly do. We see the wisdom." Dameron said.

"Why hasn't your General come down here herself to say these things?" Kylo retorted. To that, the three looked uneasy. They looked to each other to see which one of them would answer.

"She's waiting for an invitation from _you_. She said whenever _you're_ ready, she'll come." Rey softly said.

"We understand this is a sensitive situation for all involved. We... The Galaxy... cannot stand for us to be divided any longer. Dorin is already waging war against several small planets, and he has already started to purge their populations. _Millions_ of people have died this week, and millions are bound to die next week until Dorin's sick ideal is reached." Connix said. Everyone sighed at this new knowledge of what Dorin was up to. The destruction he was causing.

Yes, Kylo and Hux had their hands bloodied by their own destructions but this... this was much worse. This wasn't about the goal of conquering The Galaxy, this wasn't about politics, this was far more sinister, far more demented.

"I have to admit..." Dameron started before letting out a loud sigh and sitting back casually in his seat. "I have to admit that... these past several months under _your_ leadership... especially with the changes... Mistress Ren... brought about, it did make us pause. It made us pause, because you were actually doing a great job. It wasn't perfect... but it was better." Poe finished. Kylo looked at the man and relaxed his shoulders after hearing this confession.

Kylo knew Dameron well. They had been kids together once. Poe had been a little bit of a bully to Kylo as a kid, something Kylo never forgot about. Hearing this confession, shockingly, it meant a lot to Kylo.

"We could always draw up a conditional armistice and reevaluate our relationship after Dorin is defeated." Hux said.

"I think that would be wise." Kylo said.

"Is this something Mistress Ren would also agree to?" Danka asked.

"Talk it over with her. We can hear back from you tomorrow." Rey said.

With that the meeting was adjourned and both parties could go back to where they came from. Kylo was listening to Hux and Danka chat about possible requirements they would include in the Armistice when he saw Rey lingering in the hallway trying to get his attention. Kylo pardoned himself and went to see her.

"Yes?" Kylo flatly asked.

"Will you give this to her?" Rey said, holding out a small folded piece of paper.

"Sure." Kylo said, taking the paper and putting it in his back pocket.

"Oh... and we are all sorry for your loss. Leia... she cried for days." Rey said before turning away to leave. Kylo's chest suddenly felt very heavy and he felt his throat getting tight.

He needed to go back to the villa for the day.

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

***

You felt a light tickling sensation against your neck. You tried to bat it away, but it kept coming back. Eventually you swiped your hand harder and faster, coming into contact with something hard.

"Ow." It said. You opened your eyes to see that you just accidentally slapped Kylo in the face. He stood over you rubbing the side of his cheek where you had just slapped him. You were out in the garden again, this time lounging in the hammock. You must have dozed off and didn't realize that the sensation you felt was Kylo gently trying to kiss you awake.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" You said, trying to get up. Kylo smiled at you. _Stars...._ you loved when he gave you a big toothy grin. It gave you butterflies.

"That's the last time I try and wake you up like that." He chuckled.

"No! I usually like it when you do that!" You laughed. You got up out of the hammock and stood right in front of him. He was stick chuckling when he leaned down and kissed you. You loved how soft he was with you lately. He could be intense and intimidating with other people and when you were in public, but in private he was a total mush ball in your hands.

"How was the meeting today?" You asked.

"It went well. I actually wanted to talk to you about it. Danka should be dropping off some documents later today." He said, taking your hand and leading you towards a nearby bench.

"You're getting serious, was it not a good meeting?" You asked as you sat down beside him.

"It was a good meeting... it was just a lot. We are considering a Conditional Armistice." He stated.

"What would that all entail?"

"It would list out agreements that we and they will agree to and then upon the destruction of Dorin and Shadow Watch, we would reevaluate our relationship. The Resistance can't say for sure whether or not they'll continue to support us even after Dorin is gone."

"I see."

"I almost wish you were there today. You're always so good at seeing all the sides to these types of situations." He confessed.

"I'm sorry... I didn't realize..." You started.

"You're fine... it's ok." He said, grabbing your hand and squeezing it tightly.

"Was... was my sister there again today?" You asked.

"She was... she wanted me to give you something." Kylo said, shifting in his seat and reaching to his back pocket to pull out something. He handed you the folded up piece of paper. Your stomach immediately started doing flips as you held it in your hand. You turned it over, noting how the texture of the paper felt against your skin.

There was no possible way that Rey would fully remember you, not like you remembered her since getting your memories back. She was so young when you were taken, she had barely started talking yet. You took a deep breath in and closed your eyes for a moment as your fingers began to unfold the paper. Sensing your nervousness, Kylo put a protective arm around you to steady you.

You gazed at the writing on the paper. Rey didn't have the neatest handwriting, but it was legible. You blinked away a few nervous tears before you started reading.

_"Hi. I know this is very unusual. I'm sure... like me... you have found that life has always been unusual. I never understood why until now. I don't remember much, but maybe you could help me one day. I do hope... whenever you're ready... we can speak._

_Your sister,_

_Rey."_

It was short and sweet. You folded the paper and pressed it to your lap before sighing. You had a lot of things you needed to be "ready" for lately. It was all getting to be a lot.

Your eyes fluttered closed and you just focused on your breathing so you wouldn't cry. You felt Kylo bring his hand up to your face. He caressed the side of your face and urged you to turn and look at him. He rubbed his thumb over your lips before closing the space between you. His kiss was soft and gentle, it grounded you and reassured you.

He ran his fingers through your hair and down your back, eventually settling his hand on the small of your back while he slowly kissed you. Yesterday you had helped him with his feelings, today he was helping you with yours.

"Come on, let's go inside." He said, getting up and taking your hand. You got up and held on tightly to the letter as you two walked back in the house. It was late in the afternoon and dinner would be arriving soon.

You asked Kylo to tell you more about the meeting and everything that was discussed. It had been an all day affair, so there was a lot for Kylo to tell you. While he spoke, Danka arrived to give you the documents to look over. You briefly looked everything over before settling on the decision that the Conditional Armistice was a good idea, so long as there were strong terms in regards to _if_ The Resistance betrayed you.

You and Kylo continued to discuss things while you ate dinner after it arrived. Eventually the two of you had paperwork and dirty plates scattered all over the living room. You glanced up from a document to see that Kylo was staring at you.

His face was soft but his eyes were intense. You knew that look. It was a look he had given you a million times before, you just weren't sure if you were ready for it again.

"What?" You nervously said.

"Nothing." He responded. You put the papers down on the coffee table and turned to face him on the couch. He extended his hand to you, you gave him your hand and half pulling you and half using the Force, he brought you over to him until you were sitting on his lap.

"What can I do?" He softly asked.

"Do what?"

"To make you happy?" He sincerely asked, his eyes searching yours.

"I don't know. You're not doing anything wrong, if that's what you're worried about." You said, pushing his hair out of his face. He sighed, letting out a stream of air from his nose before he leaned forward and pressed his lips to your neck. A jolt of electricity went through you as you felt his breath against your skin and his lips lightly suckling against the delicate flesh.

You gripped his shoulders tightly as he moved his mouth down one side of your neck, across your collar bone and then back up the other side of your neck. You wanted to give in, you wanted things to be like they were before. Yet you were torn. If things went back to how they were before, you felt like that meant you had forgotten, and you didn't want to forget.

You found that your body was responding for you, becoming aroused, even though your mind was warring with itself. Your hips moved in his lap as his hands explored the curves of your frame. Little gasps and moans left your mouth as he suckled and nipped at your soft flesh.

Kylo knew you were holding back. Usually by now you would have had both legs around his waist, but instead you were keeping your legs clamped tight across his legs. He broke away for a moment and searched your face. Your cheeks were flushed, your eyes dilated, and your lips parted as you gazed down at him.

"I just want to make you feel good." He said.

"I..." You started, but the words got caught in your throat. You felt tears start to sting your eyes. you had to bring the back of your hand up under your nose and take a few deep breaths.

"I just feel guilty. Like... like if I'm happy it's like I've forgotten." You confess. Kylo brought his hands up to your face and wiped away your tears before running his hands through your hair.

"We'll never forget. I know I never will. I'll be carrying his memory with me for as long as I live." Kylo said, referring to Jacen.

"My heart just still hurts."

"I know, mine does too... but... we can move forward without ever forgetting. We'll never forget. I just... I just still love you, and still want to show you I love you." He softly said, his words making you melt a little bit and ease the emotional pain in your chest.

"And I love you...I'm just also... scared."

"Of...of me?" he asked, genuine fear in his eyes.

"No... of... of going through that again... of... feeling that excitement again. Of being pregnant again... what if it happens fast again?" You ask.

"It won't... we can use stuff. I have things we can use, I can get things, whatever you want. We can wait as long as you want, as long as you need. We don't even have to... _you know_... not until you're ready. I'm just being selfish, I just want to be close to you." He said, flopping backwards on the couch and bringing his hands up to his face.

Having this conversation was starting to make you feel better. It was long overdue. You had a lot of worries on your mind that you had yet to speak out loud, but the knowledge that there were things you two could do to wait as long as you needed to eased you tremendously.

You brought your leg over and shifted yourself until you were straddling him, causing him to look at you surprised. You laced the fingers of both your hands with his and just bit your bottom lip.

"I want to be close to you too. I'm just scared all over again." You softly said.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

"Of course." Kylo sat up and locked your legs around his waist before picking you up and walking over to where the bedroom was. He held you tightly to him as he fumbled with the door, opening it and then abruptly closing it again. He gently placed you down on the bed and knelt in front of you.

"I just want to make you feel good. You don't have to worry about me." He said, looking up at you. You reached down and pushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Ok." You said. You felt his hands at your ankles as he started to work his way up your legs. His fingertips dancing on your skin. He kissed the inside of your ankle and slowly worked his way upwards kissing your legs all while trying to keep your gaze.

You needed to just give in. It had been a while, and you needed a release. Your body was screaming for it even though your mind and emotions were all over the place. Your eyes fluttered shut and you laid back on the bed, parting your legs as his mouth went higher and higher. You and him just needed to be together. That was the only time things made sense.

Kylo looped his fingers around your panties and tugged them down, freeing you of them and tossing them over his shoulder. You felt him leaving wet, hot kisses on the insides of your thighs. You squeaked when he gave one thigh a playful bight before bringing his lips to your folds.

He snaked his hands up under your dress, his calluses causing goosebumps to rise on your skin as they glided up your stomach and to your breasts. You braced yourself for them to feel tender, but they didn't. The tenderness and soreness was gone. For a moment you wanted to be sad, but you mostly felt relief.

You reached down and pressed his hands harder to your chest as his tongue found your mound. You fully let go, a loud moan left your mouth and you arched your back as his tongue circled and twirled at your clit. Your hands left his and you tangled your fingers in his hair as he lapped at you.

He moved his hand down and gently pushed his index finger into your hole. You arched your back even higher and a slurry of incoherent words left your lips. He then slipped a second finger inside of you, curling and rubbing at that sweet spot deep within.

"Ohhh.... _stars..._ It feels so good." You moaned out. Your mind was now void of everything. This was a heavenly reprieve from it all, and you were going to fully enjoy it. As amazing as his mouth was, as much pleasure as you were getting from him as his tongue lapped away, it wasn't enough. You wanted more of him.

"Oh... Ky... I need you. Please." You begged. You didn't need to ask twice. Kylo pulled away and stood up, he started to fumble with his pants while he crossed the room to the dresser he had been using. He pulled open a drawer and pulled out a small box, which he tore into and took out a little foil packet. He kept his back to you as he rolled the condom onto himself.

You scooted yourself up further on the bed and lifted your dress up, taking it off and tossing it to the floor. You just wanted to be close to him. You needed him to make you feel whole.

He tore his shirt off and came back over to you and climbed up the bed between your legs. He peppered your face with kisses before bringing his lips to yours. You felt him rock his dick through your folds, the thin plasticky material that he now wore adding a new sensation to the mix. Once he pushed himself inside of you, you really couldn't tell the difference. You knew that men complained about these things, that _they_ could feel a difference, you began to worry if it was that was the case for Kylo.

"Are you ok?" He asked you.

"Yeah... Yeah.... are you? Is it ok? Does it still feel good with that on?" You asked, worried to death it wouldn't be as enjoyable for him.

"It's fine. Don't worry about me. I just want to be with you." He said as he began lightly rocking his hips. You bent your knees and locked your legs around his waist as you searched for him to reach a new depth. The two of you were close together. Arms wrapped tightly around each other as you thrusted, your hips meeting at a perfectly delicious pace.

Kylo weaved his hand between you and began rubbing his fingers over your clit. You couldn't help but curse and bury your face into the crook of his neck. All at once your orgasm over took you, clenching, spasming, and releasing around his cock. It left you breathless and fully relieved.

Kylo's own release wasn't too far behind yours. You felt him twitch inside of you as he always did, before he brought his mouth to yours and kissed you passionately. He pulled out of you and you looked down as he pinched and pulled off the filled condom. He got up and tossed it in the nearby waste bin before getting back on the bed. He pulled you tightly to him and kissed you once more.

"I just love you so much, we're going to make it through this." He said.

"And I love you. You're all that matters to me." You sighed. You felt light and bubbly as relief and tranquility washed over you. You nuzzled up beside him and inhaled his scent deeply.

Things only made sense when you were together.


	32. Allies

You could hear the slow thumping of Kylo's heart as you rested your head against his bare chest. The two of you had sex one more time the night before, before falling into a blissful sleep. Sometime during the night, Kylo pulled you close so that you were laying on top of him, your head pressed to his chest.

You slowly began to move, trying to untangle yourself from him without waking him. He had both his hands firmly gripping your ass, holding you in place. As you freed yourself, you saw the expression on Kylo's face change into a frown, he grumbled in his sleep before rolling over and curling himself into a ball. The man did not like to be cold while sleeping.

You smiled to yourself as you looked down at him. He looked so peaceful when he slept, all his muscles relaxed and he was nothing more than a big oaf. You brushed his hair out of his face before leaning down and kissing his forehead.

Glancing at the clock, you saw that it was just before dawn. You could hear the early morning song birds just start their symphony outside the window, and the soft glow of the rising sun was just starting to peak over the horizon. It felt like it was going to be a good day, and you were determined to make it such.

You tiptoed to the large 'fresher that was connected to the luxurious bedroom, and you started a slow morning routine of getting ready. You had decided that today was a good day to go with Kylo and join him for whatever meetings there were to be had for the day. You were ready.

You took your time getting ready. You wanted your routine to help relax you and put you in a good mindset. You showered and did your hair and makeup in peace while Kylo continued to sleep. It was almost time for him to get up, so you decided to make you both a cup of coffee.

You wrapped yourself tightly in a bathrobe and tiptoed out of the bedroom towards the kitchen. You were startled to see that Cardo, Ushar, Vicrul, and Kuruk were taking up the living room.

"What the heck!?" You loudly whispered, loud enough to wake up Vicrul, who jumped which startled Ushar, who shook Cardo awake, and then Kuruk slowly followed after.

"Oh... good morning." Cardo said.

"How long have you been here!?" You said, gripping your robe tightly to hold on to your modesty, hoping to Maker they didn't hear you and Kylo last night.

"Oh... we got here at like one in the morning, after our security shift." Ushar said.

" _Why_ are you here!?" You asked.

"Nilly showed up... and the cottage we all share is very small." Kuruk said.

"Yeah the walls are paper thin." Vicrul said.

"Although, we should have just stayed there. Are all the walls in Nabooian buildings paper thin?" Ushar grumbled. Your eyes immediately went wide and you felt a heat rise to your cheeks. You watched as Cardo punched Ushar in the shoulder.

"OWWW!!!! What I _meant_ to say was.... we most certainly did _not_ hear you get your back blown out last night."

"Get out before Kylo wakes up and murders you all." You said. You didn't need to say anything else, the guys immediately started gathering their things and made their way towards the door. You smacked your hand to your face when you noticed that Vicrul was leaving in his underwear with his pants around his neck like a scarf.

With them gone you went back to your task of making coffee. You laughed to yourself at what had transpired. The guys.... can't live with them, can't live without them.

You brought two mugs of coffee back to the bedroom and wafted Kylo's mug under his nose so that he would wake up.

"Hmmm, good morning." He said to you as he started to wake up.

"I brought coffee." You said.

"Thank you." He said, pushing himself up and taking the mug from you.

"You're welcome." You said, sitting back down on the bed to drink your cup with him.

"Are the guys still out there?" He asked after sipping on his coffee.

"You _knew_ they were out there!?" You gasped.

"Oh yeah... I sensed when they hopped the villa walls. Then I decided to fuck with them and make them regret sneaking in." Kylo said, rolling his tongue in his mouth before leaning over to you and kissing your neck. You rolled your eyes and nervously chuckled at the memory of how Kylo made you scream his name over and over again the night before.

"Well you could have given me some warning."

"Nah." He put his arm around you and held you close as the two of you sipped on your coffee.

"You're up early?" He said noting your fresh makeup and blowout hair.

"I'm ready to go with you to the alliance meetings." You said. Kylo didn't say anything else, he just gave you a grin and kissed you softly.  
  
  


***  
  
  


You weren't sure exactly _who_ you would be meeting with that day, but you were prepared for all possibilities. With Nilly back, talks could commence over an alliance with The Crimson Dawn. Mistress Qi'ra, the crime syndicate's leader, was eager to join forces with you.

You liked watching Nilly present the Crimson Dawn to everyone. Everyone else in attendance spoke with extreme seriousness and formality, not Nilly. Nilly was blunt, straight to the point, and cracked so many jokes. She had you laughing in your seat as she went over everything The Crimson Dawn was ready to offer to your cause.

"We've got guns, ships, a ton of soldiers ready to be told to shoot at any ship sided with the New Empire. We can break into almost anything, we can rig some of Dorin's favorite casinos, and we have boots on the ground already keeping tabs on what their next move might be." Nilly said.

"This sounds great. What can Mistress Qi'ra offer us once we take down Dorin, will she continue to be loyal?" Hux asked.

"She's always been loyal. Did you ever consider The Crimson Dawn to be an enemy of The First Order?" Nilly asked.

"Well... no... we've never had any issues..." Hux started.

"So then it goes right back to that! You let us do our thing, and we let you do your thing, and we all live happily ever after." Nilly said, clapping her hands together.

"Very well." Hux grumbled.

"Tell Mistress Qi'ra we look forward to a partnership in this regard." Kylo said.

"Eye Eye captain." Nilly said as she gathered her things and took her seat next to Trudgen.

With matters regarding The Crimson Dawn out of the way, attentions could be turned back towards the alliance with The Resistance. At length the terms of the Conditional Armistice were discussed. The Armistice was iron clad tight, with most of the restrictions being on The Resistance. You kind of felt a little bit bad seeing all the rules and regulations Danka and Hux had written up for The Resistance to follow, but could you blame them?

The Resistance had been a long held enemy for decades. They were the ones responsible for the Destruction of Starkiller Base, but could you really be upset about that? Starkiller Base was the tipping point for Snoke, it set the ball in motion for your freedom. If it wasn't for The Resistance you wouldn't be in this position now, which made you feel conflicted.

"What do you think?" Kylo said turning to you once all the terms had been discussed.

"Whatever you decide." You said, waving your right to an opinion in this matter. Under the table you squeezed Kylo's hand tightly, you knew this wasn't an easy decision for him.

"Send it to them, see if they agree." Kylo said after a loud sigh. Everyone nodded in agreement and Danka began to gather all the files to ready them to be sent up to The Resistance's ship. The morning meeting was adjourned and you and Kylo were free to have lunch.

"It is very nice to see you today your Grace, I do hope you are enjoying the villa." Senator Noaala said to you as you and Kylo went to exit the meeting room.

"Yes, I have been enjoying the gardens. It really is a lovely space." You sincerely said. With that, Senator Noaala smiled and took his leave. Kylo took your hand as the two of you walked the halls of the base towards where Kylo now kept a private office.

"You don't have to stay all day if you don't want to. You can go back to the villa if you want." He softly said to you.

"No... I want to stay." You said. You could hear the sound of running footsteps approaching you from behind. Instinctively, Kylo grabbed you and shoved you behind him as he turned to see who dared to run towards you both.

"Apologies sir!" An officer said as he ran up to you both.

"What is it!?" Kylo barked at him, clearly upset at alarming the both of you with his running.

"General Leia Organa was seen in Theed... we are told she went alone to Padme Amidala's crypt." The Officer quickly said. You watched as Kylo's eyes shifted to his feet, you could tell he was thinking deeply.

"What is today's date?" Kylo asked, the officer immediately said the date before Kylo dismissed him.

"What is it?" You asked once Kylo let you step out from behind him.

"It's my mother's birthday." He sternly said, taking your hand and continuing to walk towards his office.  
  
  


***  
  
  


You ate lunch in silence as Kylo paced his office back and forth, his own lunch untouched. You could tell he was greatly vexed at the presence of his mother on the planet. You didn't know what to say or what to do other than to just be there for him.

You finished your lunch and put the plate on the table in front of you. Leaning back in your seat, you waited for Kylo to pace by you, when he did you reached out and took his hand. Rubbing little small circles with your thumb onto the back of his hand, you urged him to look at you. He finally turned his head. The two of you didn't need to share any words.

"I'm going to go to her." He said, dropping your hand and going over to where he had his cloak hanging on a hook by the door.

"Now?" You asked.

"Now." He said as he swung his cloak around his shoulders. You immediately got up and reached for your own cloak.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Going with you. You don't have to do this alone." You said, looking straight into his eyes. He knew he couldn't go alone, there was no way he could face her alone, he _needed you._ You threw your own cloak on and then reached up and dusted off Kylo's shoulders before placing your hand at the side of his face.

"I love you." You told him.

"I know." He responded before rolling his eyes at himself. "Come on, let's get this over with."He aggressively took your hand and dragged you along.

Kylo commandeered for himself a modest speeder and the two of you were off towards Theed and the tomb of Padme Amidala. It was a somber location, where mourners of the once great queen often came to pay their respects. The entire trip there you held Kylo's hand... or was he holding your hand.

As he parked the speeder in front of the ornate tomb, you gripped his hand tightly. You weren't even sure if Organa was still inside.

"She is... I feel her." Kylo said, responding to your thoughts.

"I've got you." You said to him, trying to keep your own energy calm and stable for the two of you. The two of you got out of the speeder and climbed the stairs that led up to the large structure. Kylo seemed to grip your hand tighter as you neared the top.

"Wait..." Kylo said, stopping the two of you just before you could reach the top. He let go of his hand and fumbled with his belt. He removed his lightsaber, took what you could only describe as a disgusted look at it, and handed it to you.

"I don't trust myself." He said.

"I trust you." You softly said to him. Still, he gave you the weapon and you tucked it away into the folds of your cloak, careful to keep your fingers away from the switch. He took up your hand again and the two of you finished the climb.

The tomb was large with stained glass windows depicting the once beautiful queen in all her glory. Everywhere flowers either naturally grew or had been placed by visitors. For a moment you thought that the two of you were alone, but then....

You saw her.

She was standing up near the top of Padme's burial slab, her hand pressed down on the stone, her back to you both. She was dressed entirely in grey and her hair was braided up and out of her face. All these years, in your mind you had, for some reason, imagined the enemy General to be this big tall menacing woman... like her son... instead, before you stood a petite woman who's posture told you that she was far from menacing.

"For the record... I had no ulterior motives in coming here... it's just its..."

"Your birthday." Kylo said, cutting off his mother. "I... remembered." He lowly said. Organa turned to face you both, her eyes found her Son's first and then she shifted to you.

"It's also... the day order 66 took place, the over throw of the senate, the end of the Republic, and the day Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader... and the day my mother died." She said.

"Big day for Galactic history. Should be a Galactic holiday." Kylo flatly said, you squeezed his hand, even you had to agree that that was rude. He shot a look at you, and you equally shot a look back at him.

_Behave._ You scolded him in your mind. Leia caught the moment between you two and chuckled to herself. Kylo rolled his eyes at you and dropped your hand before clasping both his hands behind his back and walking towards his mother. You decided to stay back and give them their space. 

"Well?" You heard Kylo ask as he got closer to her.

"Well..." Leia trailed off.

"Are you here to guilt trip me. Is your sudden newfound interest in me part of some new ploy?" Kylo asked.

"No. Never."

"Then what is it? Why now?"

"Things have changed. I have changed. I've been humbled greatly and I can see things for what they are now." She solemnly said.

"And what are they now?"

"That I was a shit mother. That I let fear get the best of me. That I let pride get in the way of things. That I gave up too easily. That I was blinded by my own ambition." She said. You saw Kylo roll his shoulders at this start of a confession.

"You sent me away... to become something I _did not_ want to become. I made it clear that it wasn't what I wanted. You wanted me to fit this cookie cutter mold that you thought up for yourself, and when I didn't fit it... you tossed in the towel." Kylo said. 

"I know.. I know... and I bitterly regret it."

"Regrets can't help you now."

"No... they can't. But they can help me be better." She said, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Is this you trying to be better? Sending in peace envoys? Dabbling with the thought of an alliance? Or are you lying right now? Do you plan on actually aligning yourself with us or are you just trying to get a kick in while we're down." Kylo said, his voice starting to get intense. 

"Ben..." She softly said.

"That's not my name anymore! Ben died! He died when you sent me away! He died when you wouldn't listen to me when I tried to tell you..." His voice was started to break. "I tried. I tried so many times to tell you... to tell you about Snoke... the voices... everything. But you just shooed me away. Too focused on the Galaxy than on me... your own son! And then you had the _audacity_ to act like it was solely _my_ fault! No. You. You had a hand in it all."

"I know... I know... I see that now, and I'm sorry." She said trying to reach out to him, but he backed away. You didn't know if you should step forward and reach out to him or not. You just stayed put while Kylo now paced the space.

"You know... When I was at the Temple, Luke preached that we should allow The Force to flow though us. He said we needed to become one with The Force. _I am the Force the force is with me_... all that bullshit... It was perfectly acceptable if you allowed the _right_ side of the Force to flow through you, but the moment The Force called to you in a way that _wasn't_ acceptable by Luke's standards, you got in trouble. It was a load of bullshit. It was hypocritical." Kylo ran his hands through his hair as he paced the room. Leia stayed calm where she stood, allowing her son to speak.

"It wasn't my fault. The Force _always_ called to me this way. _Always._ It was _you,_ and _Dad,_ and _Luke_ , you all weren't happy with who I was. You all wanted me to change. You didn't accept me for who I was, who I couldn't help but be! And... And Snoke... he played on that! He made me believe that he would accept me for who I was... but I was lied to. He didn't accept me for who I was. He too wanted me to fit his little cookie mold and made me do things I never would have done." 

"We all were lied to. I admit that now. We became no better than the Jedi. Blinded by our own hubris and opinions of how things ought to be. We forgot the basics. We forgot that The Force is two sides of the same coin. One side cannot exist without the other. I see that now... I recognize that now." Leia softly said. 

"To believe one side is superior than the other.... it's the greatest lie the Jedi and the Sith ever told." Leia said. Kylo nodded his head in agreement. He was now on the other side of the tomb, facing his mother. She slowly made her way towards him, cautiously. 

"I see my own flaws clearly now. I want you to know that I am sorry, that I'm not trying to kick you while you're already down. I genuinely want to put it all behind us. There is a greater evil at work. We must stand together to fight it." Leia said as she got closer to her son. You also began to make your way towards Kylo. You wanted to steady him, to let him know he wasn't alone right now. 

"I just... After everything... I don't know if I can trust. I've.... _We've_... already lost so much." Kylo said, reaching his hand out towards you. You took his hand and he pulled you to his side. 

"I know... and my heart... is broken with you." She said, her voice breaking as she got closer. A few moments of silence passed as the three of you allowed the tension of the situation to subside. You knew there were regrets on both sides, you knew there were things that needed to be talked about yet the words simply were not there yet. 

Pain and regret weighed heavy in the air. You knew there were things Kylo bitterly regretted, he had told you on his own terms. You knew the lies Snoke had told him, you had either been there when Snoke said them, or Kylo told you himself. 

"I would like nothing more... than to move forward, together... but only if that is _your_ choice. What ever _you_ want." She softly said. 

"I just wanted you to accept me. No one ever accepted me... not until..." Kylo trailed off looking at you. 

Not until you. You were the only one that accepted him for who he was. You accepted the good, the bad, and all the in-between. You gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand. Leia too smiled and nodded her head while she leaned on her cane. 

"Well... aren't you going to introduce me?" She said with and air of comedic snakiness in her voice. Kylo then chuckled and pulled you tightly to his side before he introduced you to his mother.

"It's very nice to meet you my dear." She said, shaking your hand. 

"You as well." You replied. For a moment she just looked at the two of you, taking in the sight of you both together in front of her. She smiled and sighed before turning away to look up at the large mural of Padme Amidala that was painted onto the far wall of the tomb.

"If you choose to allow us to ally with you for this... I will sign whatever conditions you make towards us. I don't care. I just want us to work together though this, because that is all that matters." Leia said. 

"Mom... I..." Kylo nervously began, Leia turned back to him.

"I know son... I know." You let go of Kylo and gave him a little nudge towards his mother. He took three strides and was right in front of her. He still kept his arms clasped tightly behind his back, but as he looked down on her his face softened. 

The past was the past. All of you needed to let it go. Holding on to what could have been or what should have been, it wouldn't help anything now. It wouldn't defeat Dorin. It wouldn't bring back Jacen. It wouldn't stop the chaos that was raining down on the Galaxy right now. 

You watched as Leia lifted her hand up and placed it on the side of Kylo's face. Kylo closed his eyes and sighed. He dropped his arms and slouched his shoulders. Leia stepped closer and wrapped her arms around her son, hugging him. It took a moment, but Kylo lifted his hands and hugged his mother back. 

"I'm so sorry... for everything... will you ever forgive me?" She said.

"I... I don't know how." You heard his voice crack again. 

"We'll figure it out... together." You said. Kylo extended his arm to you and you walked forward. He pulled you in and hugged both of you.

You knew this was a big deal.

***

You and Kylo returned to the base shortly after. There wasn't anything else said between Kylo and Leia. They parted on good terms. 

It didn't take too long for word to come from the resistance after that that they accepted your conditions to the Armistice. Leia signed it the moment she returned back to her ship. 

The Resistance had just knelt to your authority.

Hux wanted to celebrate, but for some reason it wasn't the right mood. Kylo nodded his head at the news and then turned on his heel to leave. You followed him out, worried about him. 

This was a bittersweet moment, and Kylo would need time for it to all settle in. You just needed to be there for him. 


	33. In The Garden

Senator Noaala's villa had exquisite gardens which you had already been enjoying. You decided to venture further into the gardens to explore more. As it turns out, the gardens were far more extensive than you originally thought. 

Your shoes crunched on the pebbled walkways and the flowy dress you wore elegantly caught the breeze as you slowly trekked through the gardens. You were surrounded by well manicured shrubs, rare flowers, and water fountains. It felt good to get away for a few minutes and just disappear into nature. 

In the days since The Resistance signed the Conditional Armistice, there had been a few rough patches. Getting Resistance Fighters to willingly cooperate was the biggest issue. Technically, you, Kylo, and Hux were in charge, but the fighters would only take orders from Leia or Poe Dameron. So whenever Hux tried to arrange things or issue an order, the Resistance fighters wouldn't show up unless Poe sent the same exact message that Hux sent. It was stressful, it was petty behavior, and it was annoying. 

You heard an additional set of footsteps crunching on the pebbles behind you. You turned and squinted in the sunlight to see that it was Kylo walking down the path towards you. You held your hand up over your eyes to shade yourself from the sun, your ring on your finger glimmered in the light. 

"I've been looking for you." Kylo said, his hands clasped behind his back as he walked towards you.

"Oh? Did you need something?"

"No..." He trailed off while looking around and kicking a few pebbles from under his feet. Truth be told, he missed you. He had had a stressful meeting with Hux, Crimson Dawn leaders, Nabooian leaders, other allied leaders, and of course The Resistance. _Everyone_ was cooperating, even The Crimson Dawn, except The Resistance. They hadn't broken the Conditional Armistice, and their leaders were genuinely trying to be cooperative, but it was their low ranking fighters that were being difficult. 

Kylo looked at you, the sunshine casting a gentle haze through the leaves of the trees. Your skin had been kissed by the sun from your almost daily few hours you took to bask in the sunshine these days. You didn't have a stitch of makeup on you today, and your hair was just flowing in soft waves. 

You nervously chuckled seeing Kylo just stare at you like he was. Your nervous chuckle snapped him back into reality. He took a stride towards you, and you playfully took a step back. You were in a playful mood at the moment.

He took another step forward, and you took a playful jump back.

"Cut it out." Kylo said.

"Make me." You jested before taking off running down the garden path. You knew that you had zero change of out running him, but it was still fun to try. You lifted up the hem of your dress and continued to run down the path, looking over your shoulder to see Kylo in hot pursuit.

You squealed and giggled at the excitement of it. You knew that he wasn't even _trying_ to get you, if he was actually trying he would have gotten you by now. When you looked over your shoulder again, you saw that he was actually smiling as he chased you through the garden. 

You turned down a garden path that led into the stone wall maze at the farthest side of the Villa's grounds. Still Kylo stayed hot on your trail. You turned and turned again, hopeful that you would lose him in the maze. You clasped your hand to your mouth to hold in your giggles, and you tried to tread lightly so that you wouldn't make any sounds. 

In this moment, nothing mattered. In this moment you weren't at war. You two weren't the overthrown rulers of The Galaxy. You weren't feeling the sorrow of your loss. The two of you were just existing in that very moment. It was a reprieve from it all. 

Kylo had lost you in the maze. He turned around a few times and tired to listen for where you were, but you were keeping silent. You tiptoed on the pebbled walk way and tried to keep your breathing controlled. 

Kylo decided to cheat. Using The Force, he pushed himself up to stand on _top_ of the high stone wall that made up the maze. He saw you. You immediately squealed with giggles and laughter before you took off running. 

On top of the wall, Kylo continued to run after you. He jumped down and was directly behind you. You misjudged the next turn you took and found yourself facing a dead end. You were in a fit of giggles as Kylo slowly closed in on you, a dark look in his eyes. 

You had no where to go, you leaned up against the stone wall and accepted your fate. Kylo caged you to the wall with his massive frame blocking the exit. He looked down on you and gave you this delicious smirk before arching one eyebrow.

"You think you can run from me?" He said, his voice low. 

"No... but it's fun to try." You said before giggling again. Kylo's hand shot out and was quickly around your throat, gently pressing the back of your head to the stone wall.He lowered his head and attacked your mouth with his, kissing you through your nervous giggles and making it hard to breathe. You were already out of breath from running, and now it was even harder to try and catch your breath. 

You felt a warmth spread over your body and between your legs. His tongue sought entrance to your mouth, you parted your lips and sunk deeper into his kiss. His other hand now aggressively exploring the curvatures of your body.

You were being pressed harder against the stone wall. Kylo pressed his thigh between your legs, forcing you to part them as he pressed harder into you, forcing you to ride his thigh. His lips left yours as his head dipped low, sloppily leaving a trail of hot wet kisses down your neck. 

He tugged at the straps of your dress, pulling them down so that your shoulders were free of any fabric. You knew the two of you were totally alone in this corner of the garden. Senator Noaala and his family were not using the villa while you and Kylo were, and the Troopers that provided security patrolled land closer to the villa. 

It was still thrilling, however, to be right out in the open like this. Kylo began to pull at the skirts of your dress, lifting them up until your legs were exposed. He hooked his hands behind your thighs and lifted you up, pressing you to the wall for support. 

"Reach into my back pocket." He breathlessly said as he dipped his head down again to attack the other side of your neck. You struggled at first as his hips bucked up against yours, you could feel his hard length trapped in his pants. Eventually your fingers found what you were looking for, the small foil packet of the condom he kept on his person. Did he come into the garden looking for you with this expressed intention?

Holding you up with The Force, Kylo took the packet from you and tore it open. He made quick work of his belt buckle and waistline of his pants, freeing his cock. He swiftly rolled the condom on to himself before turning back to you. He locked your legs around his waist while you pulled your panties to the side. You were already wet and ready for him, he angled himself at your entrance and with one quick thrust, plunged himself into you. 

"Did... did you know you... were going to fuck me in the garden when you came looking for me?" You breathlessly asked as he aggressively plunged himself in and out of of you over and over again. 

"No... but the idea had been on my mind." He said. It was the perfect mixture of pleasure and discomfort. The stone of the wall was harsh against your back. Kylo brought his hand back up to your throat and squeezed lightly, causing you to squeak with each breath. With each snap of his hips, he hit that sweet spot inside of you, sending your body alight with pleasure. 

"Oh... it feels so good." You moaned out.

"You like that? You like when I trap you and make you come undone on my cock?"

"Ye... yes!" 

"Good... because you're going to cum all over this cock, I can feel that you're there. Cum for me." He growled into your ear. He was right, you were right there, his words sent you over the edge. tears escaped from the corners of your eyes as you tossed your head back in ecstasy and gazed up into the bright Nabooian sky. 

Your walls spasmed and clenched, pulling him to completion. You missed that feeling of warmth that spread inside of you when he came, but it was a small sacrifice you two still needed to make on the path towards healing. Kylo kissed you passionately as he continued to twitch inside of you.

He slowly removed himself from you and lowered your legs to the ground. He made sure you were steady on your own two feet before he stood up straight and ran his hands though his hair. The two of you stood there catching your breath for a moment. He dipped his head down and kissed you slowly.

Shrugging, Kylo pinched the condom off himself and tossed it over the garden maze wall. He shrugged: oh well. Like what else were you going to do with it? He tucked himself away and then pulled you to him.

"Oh... I was looking for you because I missed you today." he said before kissing the top of your head.

"Oh! You don't say!?" You exclaimed. You put your arm around him and the two of you made your way back to the villa.

***

Hux looked like he was about to blow a gasket. His face was red with anger, a little vein was popping out of his forehead, and his fists were clenched at his side. The source of his vexation seemed to be Poe Dameron. As to what exactly transpired you did not know. Instead Danka scurried over to you as you made your way down the hall towards the scene and she was looking embarrassed and bashful.

"What happened?" You asked.

"Dameron tried to ask me on a date in front of Hux." Danka sheepishly said. Well that would explain a lot. 

"Listen man... I had no idea! Seriously, I'm sorry!" You heard Dameron say.

"You better be sorry! It's not me you should be apologizing to, its Officer Danka!" Hux raised his voice.

"Apologies Officer Danka." Dameron said looking towards your direction.

"It's fine!" Danka said nervously waving her hand. Hux let Dameon pass. You watched as The Resistance General scurried away with his tail between his legs. You watched as Hux smoothed out the front of his uniform, take a deep breath, and then make his way over to you and Danka.

"I'm sorry about that darling, some people just seem to have no tact." Hux said coming over to Danka. He brought his hand up to the side of her face and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I told you it was fine. No harm done." She looked at him with wide eyes, you thought it was incredibly cute. The two of them together did make quite a pair, you had to admit. Your eyes shifted between the two of them as they shared a soft moment together, you then cleared your throat to remind them that you were standing right there.

"Oh... sorry." Hux said looking down at you.

"No worries... I'm just here to check in for the day. Anything new to report?" You asked. 

"Overnight we learned that Dorin has forcibly removed a large portion of the male Herglic population from the planet Giju. He has transferred them as slave labor to several mines. This seems to be a new plan of his. He is taking lifeforms that he deems 'undesirable' and either finding a use for them, _or..._ "

"Eradicating them completely. I see..." You said. 

"Those poor souls. I met a Herglic once, they are such gentle giants." Danka said.

"I agree. They are highly intelligent beings as well with a rich Galactic history, it is a travesty to see what Dorin is doing to them."

"Is there anything we can do now? Anything we can do to help the remaining Herglic population?" You ask.

"Not as of yet. There is a blockade around Giju, there would be no way we could render aid at this time. We can only hope that by defeating Dorin, we can free those he has taken as slaves." Hux said. 

"We can only hope." You softly say. 

"That is all I have to report for today, but I will keep you updated." Hux said as he started to turn away, he looked like he wanted to say bye to Danka before he left, but wasn't sure.

"If you two want to say goodbye for the day, you will not offend me. Go on... now kiss!" You playfully said putting your hands up. Both of them laughed nervously before Hux dipped down and kissed Danka on the cheek before taking his leave.

With Hux gone it was just you and Danka. Danka knew you wouldn't mind any PDA from her and Hux, it was Hux that always wanted to keep things above par. You and Danka chatted about a few mundane things until you two made it to the little office you had claimed as your own. 

"Did you have anything on your mind that you wanted to handle today?" Danka asked as you sat down behind the small desk.

"Yes... help writing someone a note." You twisted your fingers in your lap and you couldn't help but start to feel sweaty as you were now admitting it out loud. You had made the decision the night before that it was time. You were ready. Especially after how well things went with Leia and Kylo. 

You were going to sent Rey a note, and you were going to suggest you meet up. 

"Oh... anyone important?" Danka said as she started to pull out your official stationary. 

"My sister." Danka stopped what she was doing and gawked at you. Danka was fully aware of a large portion of your family history. The two of you had spent so much time together pouring over Snoke's journals. She knew all about your sister from what you had told her, but you hadn't yet told her what Kylo had told you about Rey. 

Danka brought a chair up to your desk and the two of you started to work on a note. You didn't want it to be too long or overly formal, but you wanted it to be friendly. You had no idea why you even needed help with it to begin with, but you were too nervous to do it alone. 

In the end you penned the perfect note and you instructed to have Danka deliver it personally to Rey. Which meant Danka would have to wait for a transport up to The Resistance's ship and then wait for her to return. It was going to be a long day of waiting for you. 

You looked over the note one more time before handing it to Danka.

_"Dear Rey,_

_I got your note a few days back, forgive me for not responding sooner. For so long I was kept locked away, both from my own memories and from everyone else. I am so glad to now have the freedom to be able to remember you, as well as our parents. You are right, life always was, and most likely always will be... unusual. Perhaps we can talk about it. I'll be in the Naboo Botanical Gardens this evening before sundown. Meet me in the Orchid exhibit._

_Your sister..."_

You watched with eagerness and nervousness as Danka dashed out of your office to make it in time for the next transport. 

***

The Naboo Botanical Gardens were housed in a massive steel and glass structure. It housed an extensive collection of all the native fauna to the planet. It was a breathtaking place, filled with lush greenery, aromatic flowers, and all things naturally beautiful. 

You briefly saw Kylo before heading off to the Botanical Gardens. You told him what you were up to and he gave his best wishes to you, he wanted to come with you just as you went with him to see his mother, but this was different. 

You needed to do this alone. 

Of course you weren't totally alone. Ap'lek was five paces behind you at all times and Cardo, Ushar, and Vicrul were nonchalantly patrolling the gardens down below. You stood on the high walkway that allowed for you to look down in to the gardens below. 

You were partially hidden by the lush greenery that grew high up into the upper reaches of the building. Below you had a perfect view of the orchid exhibit. You also had a perfect view of Ushar picking flowers and trying to stick them in Cardo's hair, and Vicrul trying to chat up the girl that worked at the gardens. 

You leaned on the railing and chuckled. You really did love the guys, you couldn't imagine life without them now. They were like your extended family. 

"What time is it Ap'lek?" You asked, you heard Ap'lek shuffle over and read you off the time before he too leaned against the railing to look down in the garden.

"This is a pretty nice place, I should bring Estrid when she comes back." Ap'lek said.

"She would really like it, you should totally bring her. Where is she by the way?"

"She made it back on to Coruscant. She's been keeping tabs on Pryde and a few others."

"Has she noticed anything yet?"

"She can't transmit messages to us while she's there, they'll pick up on it, but she's due to come back at the end of the week. We'll know everything then."

"Do you ever get nervous with her being in dangerous places?" You sincerely asked.

"I used to be, I also used to be horribly jealous of how other men would talk to her. They would try and flirt with her and have their way, but my Estrid always outwits them every time . She's always five steps ahead." Ap'lek said with a bit of pride in his voice. 

You were about to ask Ap'lek something else when you noticed someone new enter the gardens. She was wearing an all tan outfit with a short poncho over her shoulders. Her brown hair was pulled back into three buns at the back of her head, and around her waist she had a lightsaber.

You couldn't help but nervously swallow. It was her.

You watched as she meandered around the gardens, stopping to read a few signs here and there. Slowly she made her way towards the orchid exhibit. You pulled away from the railing and decided to make your way down there. 

The whole time you made your way down towards the orchids, you kept an eye on her. The two of you shared some similarities, but you were also so very different. First off, you dressed totally polar opposite of each other. You were in a purple floor length chiffon dress covered with a matching hooded cloak, and she was in a very utilitarian get up that was made for movement and fighting. 

You slowly made your approach form behind. You watched as she gazed up into the lush greenery of the gardens, her eyes wide with awe. Her lips were parted as she gasped at what she saw. You were just a few feet away when the heels of your shoes clicked on the stone of the walkway, catching her attention. 

She turned towards you and your eyes locked. She took a step back to take a look at you, and you equally looked at her. Had it really been so long? Had she really only been a baby the last time you saw her? The years went by so quickly yet so slowly. Although the last time you saw her she was a baby, you were certain you were staring at the same person. Her eyes were just as you remembered. 

"Rey?" You asked. 

"Yes." She answered. All at once it happened so quickly, she stepped forward and embraced you, which startled Ap'lek, but he quickly realized everything was fine. You lifted your arms and hugged her back. It felt like home. 

"I had no idea you existed." She said to you.

"You were so small when I last saw you." You said, the two of you breaking away for a moment. 

"I barely remember anything. Master Leia always has to use The Force to help me remember things." Rey said, you could see that she was choking back tears. 

"Well I can show you what I remember? I can start from the beginning." You said, motioning towards a nearby bench. The two of you sat down and you started at first by telling her what Snoke did to you, how he hid your memories. You then told her how you used to "talk" when Snoke had you under his spell. It was then that you told her that that was the same way you were going to show her memories of your parents. 

"We don't have the same mother, I hope you know that." You told her. 

"No... I don't know that."

"I was an infant when she died. I don't know how. Dorin and I are the ones that share the same parents, so you and I are only half sisters." You confess.

"I see. Did you know about Dorin?"

"No... I didn't, it wasn't until I was reviewing Snoke's journals some weeks ago that we made the discovery." You say. You then took Rey's hand and pressed it to the side of your head.

"Go on... it won't hurt me, I promise." You said. You felt Rey push into your mind and the first thing you showed her was your earliest memory you had of her. The day your father and Ry'la (the woman you considered your mother) bringing Rey home from the local hospital. You don't exactly remember how old you were, but you were old enough to vividly remember. You then showed her small memories of the two of you playing together and having fun. 

You watched as tears spilled over onto Rey's cheek's as she felt the feelings you felt and she saw your memories of herself. You also showed her many memories of your parents. How kind your father was, how gentle your mother had been. You showed her your childhood home and all the little details about things that you could remember.

But then you had to show her what happened to you. How you had gone out into the meadow to pick her flowers. How the star destroyer came. How Phasma grabbed you kicking and screaming. How you saw the family cottage get set ablaze by stormtroopers. How you thought your whole family was dead. And lastly, how Snoke locked you away. 

When you finished, both you and her were crying.

"I...I had no idea." She softly said, looking down into her hands. 

"It was a lot. I'm sorry."

"No... No... I'm glad you showed me. I know so very little. It was like my mind was wiped the moment I was left on Jakuu. 

"Did you ever have dreams that felt like they could be memories?" You ask.

"All the time. Like... the person you showed to be our father, I see him in my dreams, but I never knew who he was. I often have this dream of them leaving me on Jakku, how sorry they were, how sad they were, but also how scared they were. It was like they were running. The last thing that always happens in that dream is our father pressing his hand to my head and then... nothing. I always wake up and I can't remember anything prior to that."

"It sounds like what Snoke did to me. He just pressed his hand to my head, and poof! All my memories and my ability to speak were gone."

"How did you get your voice and memories back?" She asked.

"When Snoke was killed, it was like the Force hold just ceased to exist. Everything came flooding back at once."

"So that couldn't be what my problem is." Rey said with disappointment. 

"Do we know _for sure_ if our father is dead?" You asked.

"I have no idea." 

***

You and Rey chatted for a while longer after that. You even introduced her to The Knights who seemed to take a liking to her right away. She told you all about Jakku and how hard it was as a scavenger. It wasn't until months prior when she got wrapped up in the Skywalker Map debacle that she finally made it off the planet and saw greenery for the first time. 

The two of you walked around the gardens for a long while. You pointed out your favorite flowers. You would have stayed longer, but one of the garden employees came out and said it was time for the gardens to close. 

This would by no means be the last time the two of you would have any time together. The two of you didn't even talk about The Resistance, or The First Order, you only talked about each other. There would be plenty of time, hopefully, in the future. Reluctantly you said your goodbyes and watched as she disappeared into the night's darkness.

The Knights took you home where Kylo was waiting up for you. 

Kylo was sitting on the couch in the living room when you came in through the front door. He lept to his feet and quickly crossed the room to kiss you and help you take off your cloak all while anxiously asking how it went. 

"It went great!" You said.

"Good. I'm glad... truly." He said as you leaned against the door frame to lift up your foot to unbuckle your shoe.

"You didn't have to wait up for me." You said, noting how tired he looked.

"I don't sleep good without you." He softly said. He didn't wait long for you to have your shoes off before he scooped you up and brought you to the bedroom.


	34. Training

The base on Naboo was now filled with busyness and excitement as soldiers, volunteers, and loyalists arrived from all over. It was a mishmash of people from all over, all of them wearing their own uniforms signifying where they were from, and milling about all together. It was a _somewhat_ organized chaos.

You stood staring out the window of a observation deck down onto a training platform below. A newly formed platoon of Stormtroopers, Resistance Fighters, Crimson Dawn solders, and other volunteers were trying to form a formation under the guidance of Hux and Dameron.

It wasn't going so well.

Resistance Fighters were shoving and arguing with Stormtroopers, Crimson Dawn sodiers were getting fed up with the troopers and fighters, and Dameron and Hux seemed to be at each other's throats.

There was no way you were going to be able to defeat Dorin and his greater forces if your own people were divided on the inside.

You closed your eyes, shook your head, and brought your hand up to pinch the bridge of your nose.

You all were living on borrowed time.

Dorin was now moving on to another planet that he deemed "worthy" of purging, it was only a matter of time until he turned his attentions back to you. Not only were you worried about him turning his attentions back to you, but you needed to get your act together before he caused more bloodshed on yet another population of lifeforms.

"This is a catastrophe." Kylo said, walking up behind you as he looked down at the dumpster fire below.

"We have to figure something out; and soon." You said, crossing your arms over your chest.

"I'm going down there." You said, turning on your heels and going to leave the room.

"And do what?" Kylo asked.

"I'll figure it out by the time I get down there." You said over your shoulder. Kylo just watched you as you walked away. You meant business.

There had to be something you could do. Something you could say or show them all that would drill it into their minds that they needed to set aside differences and work together. You just needed to think of _something._

"Oh there you are, come on, we need to figure out how to get everyone to work together." You said the moment you saw Danka walking in your direction towards the observation deck where you had been.

"I was just coming to look for you." She said with a smile as she turned to walk with you. The two of you started brain storming while you walked down to the training platform. First you needed to see just exactly why everyone was arguing all the time.

You made it down to the platform and as soon as the doors to the outside slid open, you were smacked in the face with the loud arguing that everyone was having amongst themselves. They didn't even acknowledge you once you arrived.

"I don't see how _marching_ is going to win us this war!" Dameron loudly said to Poe.

"It teaches discipline!" Hux retorted back.

"So discipline and not skill is going to win this!?" Dameron said. You approached the two men and cleared your throat, but they didn't even notice you. They just continued arguing as did all the other soldiers there. You even watched as a Trooper and Resistance Fighter were getting in each other's faces, ready to have an all out fist fight.

"ENOUGH!!!!" You shouted, raising your voice. All at once everyone ceased their squabbles and started at you.

"My apologies ma'am." Hux immediately said.

"Yeah... my bad.... sorry." Dameron said. An idea immediately popped into your head as to how you were going to rectify the situation. Your low ranking soldiers needed to be led by example, they would only work together if they saw their leaders working together.

"Danka.... remind me again how the rooming arrangements are going when it comes to welcoming our new Resistance brethren?" You asked.

"Certainly. The east barracks are being cleared out so that fighters currently residing on the ship in orbit can come down and reside on the planet." Danka said.

"I have a sudden new idea. Have half of our forces move into the new barracks so they can bunk with our new allies to get to know each other better." You said.

"Ma'am? Co-residency between parties? Would that be wise?" Hux questioned you.

"Yes. I believe so. It has been long enough, and no one is anywhere near closer to getting along with each other. So instead of only working together during professional hours, everyone will be together 24/7 from now on. We are, after all, trying to be one united team." You sternly said.

"Of course... it is an age old tactic for getting soldiers to work together. Cohabitation usually sorts things out." Hux confirmed.

"And you are no exception to it." You said. Hux, Dameron, and Danka all looked at you.

"What do you mean?" Hux nervously asked.

"You have a large apartment here on base with an extra bedroom, General Dameron will take up residence there. You two are to be roommates. That's an order." You said. The color on both men's faces drained from them.

"I am determined to ensure that we are all on _one_ team. We _must_ put aside our petty differences and start getting along! One of the best ways we can do that is by leading by example. You _two_ are the two Generals of this operation, start acting less like enemies and more like allies! I'm not asking you two to be come best friends, just... polite comrades." You said.

"As... as you wish." Hux reluctantly said before looking at Danka. You would have to apologize later to Danka for suddenly giving Hux an unwanted roommate, you were totally aware that Danka now practically lived at Hux's apartment.

"Now... Starting tomorrow, I want everyone in the _same_ uniform for basic training. We have an abundance of leisure wear that can be given to everyone. It's time we all looked like we are all on the same side." You added. Hux and Dameron just blinked at you while you gave your orders. Once you were done with Hux and Dameron you turned to the group of soldiers in front of you.

"I understand this is all very unusual. I understand that you all hold your own differences. But we need to put aside what makes us different and remember what unites us. There is a greater threat on our doorstep, a threat that will wipe each and every one of us out if we don't do _something_. We can not fight our enemy if we are fighting each other! Instead of hyper focusing on the negativity of our differences, let's try and see the _beauty_ behind our differences! Is that something you all can at least _try_ to do?" You said to the group. They all sheepishly looked at you and nodded their heads.

"Now.... get into formation and listen to your Generals!" You ordered them. With that they all scurried to attention and got right into order just as Hux had been trying to get them to do.

"You may carry on." You said to Hux and Dameron. You turned and began to walk back inside while Danka followed close behind.

"Dameron and Hux... Living together?" Danka asked you.

"I know... I'm sorry. I know you've practically moved in with Hux. It will only be temporary."

"It's fine. We'll make due." Danka replied.   
  
  


***  
  
  


You personally oversaw that Dameron was settled into Hux's apartment. Poor Millicent, Hux's cat, was absolutely horrified by the intrusion, but as with everyone else, she would have to get used to it. If you were going to reach your goal of uniting everyone, you would have to lead by example. 

"Have you lost your mind!? No." Kylo said to you.

"I already made Dameron and Hux move in together, if we want all the soldiers to get along, _we also_ need to lead by example!"

"I'll work with them. I'll meet with them daily for briefings and other meetings, but I draw the line at _that_." He said as he sat down on the edge of the bed to pull off his boots. You had spent the rest of the day brainstorming with Danka new ways you could work on bringing everyone together.

The cohabitation of all the forces was a start, as well as giving everyone all the same uniform. You had hoped these small changes would be enough to help everyone to start to set aside their differences and see each other as peers and colleagues, but you needed to take it a step further.

You and Kylo needed to show a more united front when it came to working with Leia and Rey. You knew that Kylo would never agree to letting his mother and Rey move into the villa with you, but you still asked anyway.

"Ok... fine. What about allowing Rey to train with you and the Knights?" You asked. He loudly sighed as he began to work on his other boot.

"I'll think about it." He finally relented. You smiled and did a sort of happy dance before skipping over to him. He put his hands on your hips and pulled you down onto his lap.

""I didn't say yes.... I _said_ I would think about it." He crooned before kissing you. You hummed and bit your bottom lip as you broke away from the kiss.

"Is there _anything_ I can do to help convince you?" You said, making sure you added a sultry flair to your voice. You took your hand and slowly walked the tips of your fingers up Kylo's thigh towards his groin. Anxiously, Kylo shifted his weight on the bed and pulled you closer to him.

Kylo _never_ said no to you. He acted like a big tough guy ninety percent of the time when he was out and about, but once you got him behind closed doors, he was a total sucker for you. You could probably get away with murder and he'd be fine with it. In fact, at this point, you _had_ gotten away with murder and he was totally unfazed by it. In his eyes, there was nothing too big or too small for you to ask of him.

Except for his mother moving in.

"I can think of something." He said, letting go of you and leaning back on the mattress. He spread his legs wide and glanced down at the bulge in his pants. He looked absolutely delicious leaning back the way he was, a cocky grin on his face and his hair over his eyes.

Kylo couldn't ever say no to you, and you most certainly couldn't say no to him. You rolled your tongue against your cheek, already salivating thinking about tasting him in your mouth.

You slid down off his lap and onto your knees in front of him. You tucked your hair behind your ears and reached up and undid his pants, releasing his length. He leaned back further onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling, his hands gripping the comforter on the bed, eager with anticipation for you. You sat up and leaned forward, pushing his shirt up, and you began to leave a trail of kisses down his stomach, avoiding his dick at all costs.

You liked to make him squirm a bit.

His breathing was sharp and he let out a few low moans as you slowly worked your lips toward where he so desperately desired for them to be. You looked up at him just as you took him in hand. He had a look of total desperation on his face, his features soft, and his eyes wide with adoration for you.

Without breaking eye contact, you sucked the head of his dick into your mouth. You twirled your tongue and hollowed your cheeks as you tried to take as much length as you possibly could into your throat. You didn't really feel like you gave good blow jobs, but the look on Kylo's face told you otherwise.

Using your hands and mouth you worked at him. His fists were balled into the comforter and low, deep moans were escaping his mouth. You dropped one hand and squeezed his thigh, feeling how tense the muscles in his legs were. You knew he was close.

You hummed a bit, the vibrations adding to the pleasurable sensations you were giving him. He lifted his hands up and tanged his fingers in your hair. He wanted to push your head down and just buck up into your mouth, but he held back. He held back because he was _right there._

With one last twirl of your tongue, you sent him over the edge. His salty release filling your mouth. You pulled away and brought your hand up to your mouth, choking down a gag before swallowing. You wiped your mouth clean with the back of your hand and then climbed up onto the bed and laid down next to Kylo.

"So.... training... With Rey and the Knights?" You said.

"Sure.... fine... whatever you say... I love you." He said as he tried to catch his breath. You just laughed.

***  
  
  


In the days since meeting Rey for the first time, the two of you sent friendly messages back and forth to each other on your Datapads. You told her she was invited to participate in a training exercise with Kylo and the Knights, which she gladly accepted. You promised her that you would also be there so that she wasn't totally alone with the guys.

You now watched as Ushar and Cardo played keep away with Vicrul's helmet in the outdoor training area. Vicrul was running back and forth as Cardo and Ushar threw the helmet across the arena, keeping it away from it's rightful owner.

"Come on guys! I just managed to repair it from the last time you fucked with it!" Vicrul said as he lazily ran to the other side of the platform. You just chuckled at yourself.

All the guys were just fooling around with their equipment and weapons waiting for Kylo and Rey to show up. You heard the sound of footsteps approaching you from behind, and you turned around to see Rey slowly coming up the steps.

"You made it!" You excitedly said.

"I did! It took a minute to figure out where I was supposed to go, but I'm here." She said. You gave her a friendly hug before you pointed out the Knights to her. She had already met a few of them, but you took the time to make sure she really knew their names.

"So... you're the Jedi are ya?" Kuruk said to Rey, acting like he was sizing her up. Rey momentarily slinked back as the guys narrowed in, making, what you knew to be, a fake show of intimidation.

"We don't like Jedi." Trudgen said.

"Yeah... they're a bunch of self righteous zealots." Kuruk said.

"Guys.... stop being a bunch of jerks! Rey already met Ap'lek, Cardo, Ushar, and Vicrul." You said to Kuruk and Trudgen.

"Sorry.... we're just messing with ya." Kuruk said.

"Yeah... yeah... gotta make sure you fit in around here." Trudgen said. Rey chuckled and all the guys broke their intimidating cover and turned back into the large goofs you knew them to be. It was then that Kylo made his appearance, fresh out of a war meeting with Allied leaders.

You knew all these changes and sudden friendliness with The Resistance still made him anxious, so you gave him a big wide smile. You could have sworn you saw the corner of his mouth twitch.

"What are we working on today, boss?" Ap'lek asked Kylo.

"Hand to hand sparring. It's been a while." Kylo said.

"I agree." Ap'lek concurred. All the guys grabbed their weapons and you saw Rey take her lightsaber in hand. In the blink of an eye, Kylo used The Force and tore the saber from her hand, placing it down on a nearby bench.

"We will be using rudimentary weapons today." Kylo said, taking his own saber and putting it on the bench. All the guys groaned and put down their weapons and went over to a large cart that housed various wooden weapons like staffs, sparring swords, spears, and shields.

You crossed your arms over your chest, fully aware that Kylo made this choice because he didn't totally trust Rey yet. You were fully aware that the scar on Kylo's face was given to him by Rey. He had shared everything with you. Nothing about their... rocky... relationship was a secret to you.

You began to make your way over to the bench when Kylo called out to you.

"Where are you going?" He said, twirling two sparring swords in his hands.

"To watch?" You replied.

"Nah... get your ass over here." He said. There was something about the way he said it, it made you bite your lip and and shrug your shoulders as you sheepishly walked over to the cart of wooden weapons.

"We're at war, and if there ever was a time I'm not able..."

"Kylo..." You softly tried to interrupt him, you knew where he was going.

"If there ever is a time where I'm not able to protect you.... I want you to know how to protect yourself." He seriously went on. He tossed one of the wooden swords in his had, grabbed it by the false blade, and held out the grip to you. You rolled your eyes and took it in hand.

"Rey... you'll spar with Vicrul. Cardo with Trudgen. Ap'lek with Ushar and Kuruk." Kylo ordered.

"Two on one sir?" Ap'lek questioned.

"You need to work out your shoulder." Kylo said. Ap'lek rolled his eyes and nodded his head. You watched as Vicrul practically skipped over to Rey, twirling the wooden staff he selected as if it were a baton.

"And me with you?" You asked.

"You and me." He said with a slight smirk. You watched as the others went about their business doing warm ups and stretches before going off to their own areas to practice their own fighting techniques.

You weren't exactly dressed for the occasion, you were in a pants suit and heels, but at least you weren't in one of your usual dresses.

"Kylo... I'm not dressed appropriately." You tried to protest.

"Nonsense. You have to know how to defend yourself no matter what you're wearing." He said. You just sighed and kicked off your heels, at least it was better to be barefoot.

It had been _ages_ since you did any sort of physical training. Years ago, Snoke tried to work with you when it came with a Lightsaber, you remembered the basics, but beyond that you were unsure if your muscles would actually remember. You twirled around the wooden sword, trying to get used to the weight of it in your hand.

"Alright... let's work on stances." Kylo said, you were partially ignoring him, fixated on twirling around the wooden weapon.

"Will you pay attention?"

"I'm listening." You said with a smile on your face. Kylo groaned and began to try and explain something to you, but you were still twirling. Out of nowhere, Kylo took his sword and smacked yours, sending yours flying out of your hand and skidding across the ground.

"Hey!!!!" You shouted. He had startled you and you weren't too happy about the abruptness.

"Pay attention!" He sternly said.

"I listen with my ears! Besides, I know all this." You sternly said back.

"You do?"

"Yes... I do. Snoke taught me, it's been ages, but I remember."

"Alright. Since you think you know everything. Fight me then." He said, twirling his sword around. "I'll _try_ and go easy on you." You walked over to where your sword lay on the ground and picked it back up. You gave it one twirl and took a stance that you remembered. You didn't care how stupid you looked, or whether you were doing it right or wrong. You just performed it from memory and tried your best to look serious.

Kylo stepped forward and _gently_ swung his sword at you and you brought yours up and deflected the strike. He looked a little surprised at first that you actually put effort into the swing. You just smirked at him.

You knew fully well that in Kylo's eyes you were his soft, little, feminine wife, but in your mind you were determined to prove yourself to be tough. You jumped forward and brought the sword crashing towards Kylo, your swiftness with the moment caught him off guard, but he deflected it nonetheless.

"Good.... you're sloppy... but it's a start." He smirked.

"I'll show you sloppy!" You said, raising your sword up and running at him full speed. He chuckled and with the flick of his wrist, he froze you in place.

"If you're done being difficult.... let's actually work on the _real_ basics." He lowly said to you. You sighed and he released you from his Force hold. You lowered the sword and actually began to listen to Kylo and his lesson. You actually liked watching him speak. There was this passion in his voice that appeared when he spoke about something he cared about. You loved seeing him like that. So you just stood there smiling.

He eventually came over to you and told you which stances to get in. He would reach out and adjust your legs or arms, every so often he also would sneak a squeeze of your ass in as he did it.

"Are you helping me with my stances or is this an excuse to molest me?" You whispered to him as he had his hand _very_ low on your lower back.

"Both." You could hear the cocky smirk he had on his face as he spoke to you from behind, and you could feel his hot breath on the back of your neck. For a moment you had to shut your eyes, for some _odd_ reason this close proximity to him and working together like this was turning you on.

"Now... say you don't have a weapon. I want you to try and take me down using your own strength." He said, taking your sword from you.

"Are you kidding me? You weight like a hundred more pounds than me and you're like two feet taller!" You protested.

"It's all about using your opponent's weight and force against them. You can do it." He said, backing away from you and taking a stance of his own. You assessed him for a moment before he lunged forward. You were successful in avoiding his grasp and dodging him, but he still tried to get you. You couldn't play keep away from him forever, you would eventually have to engage.

Eventually Kylo got you and you had to fight off the urge to laugh hysterically, instead you hooked your leg around his and tripped him up, causing him to fall backwards. You got on top of him, straddling him around his waist and pinned him by his wrists up by his head.

"Got you." You said, inches away from his face. You were sure to lace your words with a bit of seduction and ever so "innocently" wiggle your hips against him.

"I was going easy on you." He said, looking up at you, his eyes dark with lust. You felt him slightly buck his hips up against yours. You gasped. The two of you were in full view of everyone else. You glanced around, relieved to see that everyone was preoccupied with their own training activities.

Aggressively, Kylo managed to free himself from your grasp and flip you over on to your back. He was now the one straddling you, pinning your hands by your head.

"It's been a while since I've had you in _this_ position." He growled low enough for only you to hear. Your eyes fluttered at that, imagining a specific time when he last had your hands restrained over your head. That last time you had been in your room on The Valiance, naked, with his mouth nibbling and biting just about every square inch of your body.

"Ahh... I was thinking of a different time." Kylo said, having seen the memories flash in your mind. "Maybe we'll reenact _my_ memory later."He said. You stared up at him and bit your lip. Kylo freed you and stood up, he extended his hand to you and helped you to your feet.

He left you for a moment to announce to the others that training was over for the day and that everyone could go about their business. You looked over at Rey who was helping Vicrul to his feet, Vicrul looked relieved since Rey had totally kicked his ass.

Vicrul grumbled and was rubbing his back as he limped away from the training area. You met up with Rey who had a wide smile on her face.

"That was great! I'm so glad I came!"

"Me too! I didn't get to watch you, but you judging by how Vic is limping, you did great!"

"Kylo didn't have to pair me with the weakest fighter, I can hold my own."

"Actually.... Vic is one of the best fighters!" You laughed. This made Rey burst out laughing at the realization.

"I actually need to talk to Kylo about something important. I've already talked about it with Leia, but given the circumstances, Kylo ought to know too." Rey said, getting serious.

"What's that?" Your interest was peaked.

"There's someone else who is force sensitive. We just made the discovery. Leia has been working with him, but training together like this would really help him." Rey said.

"Who is it?"

"His name is Finn... he used to be a stormtrooper."

"Oh!!! The _traitor."_ You had heard of FN-2187, the low ranking trooper that went AWOL around the events of Starkiller base.

"He's no traitor." Rey said, getting serious while you were still smiling.

"I know... I didn't mean it like _that,_ you know.... I just only know one side of things." You tried to explain.

"I understand." Rey said, her eyes going to behind you. You turned and saw Kylo coming towards the two of you, his Lightsaber back on his belt and Rey's lightsaber in hand. With zero expression on his face, he handed her her weapon.

"Thanks." She softly said. You could cut the awkwardness in the air like a knife. You knew what that Lightsaber meant, who it once belonged to, and what had happened to it fairly recently. Kylo just nodded and looked down at you, wordlessly asking if you were ready to head back to the villa for the day.

"Rey actually had something she needed to ask you. I need to get some documents from Danka and I'll meet you at the transport." You said to him. He just nodded and you smiled at him, then to Rey before taking your leave.  
  
  


***

Kylo was grumpy about it, (no surprise there) but he granted Rey's request to allow Finn to train with her and The Knights. Your muscles were sore from the exertion of training, which Kylo sensed before you could start complaining about it. Without you having to ask, he drew you a nice hot bath and added special soaking salts.

It felt like heaven when you lowered your sore body into the hot water. You let out an audible sigh of relief and felt your whole body relax. In the corner of your eye you saw Kylo undressing himself, he then came in the 'fresher with you and got in the tub with you.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Tired." You sighed.

"Not too tired I hope." He said as his hands disappeared under the water and gently stroked up your legs. Despite the hot water, him touching you managed to make goosebumps rise on your skin. He started at your ankles and began to slowly massage up your legs. He got half way up your calves before he grabbed your legs and pulled you to him. You slid in the tub as he pulled you close and wrapped your legs around him.

"You were so hot swinging that sword around." He said as he dipped his head to the side, pressing his soft lips to your neck. You couldn't help but let out an audible sigh.

"It was fun." You replied.

"It reminded me of when I showed you how to shoot those weapons. Do you remember that?"

"I do." You said with a giggle, you remembered it vividly. How he looked, his shoulders squared, his hands on you.

"You turned me on then too. I had to go back to my quarters and.... you know." He lowly said, taking your hand and pressing it to his already hard dick. Your eyes fluttered and you couldn't help but let out a soft moan.

"I did too." You confessed.

"You did?" He questioned. A bit surprised.

"I couldn't help it. I had to. You were all I thought about. I had no idea what I was doing when I was doing it." You lifted your arms up and wrapped them around his shoulders, bringing your lips to his as he pulled you closer to him, locking your legs tighter.

"You thought of me?" He asked, pulling away from your kiss.

"Yes." You breathlessly replied.

"You dirty girl." He chuckled. He bought his mouth to yours once more and scooped your ass cheek up in one hand and gave it a harsh squeeze

"Show me." He said.

"What?"

"Show me how you touched yourself." His eyes were dark as the words left his mouth. You bit your lip as he released you from his grip. You scooted away and rested against the opposite end of the tub, bending your one leg and spreading the other as much as you could.

There were no bubbles in the tub, the water was clear and still piping hot. Steam rippling off it's surface. You watched his face as you rolled your fingers over your hardened nipples and dipped your hand down below the water's surface. His gaze followed your hand, mesmerized as you parted your folds with your fingers, spreading them, giving him and unobstructed view of your core.

Despite being underwater, you were well lubricated, swollen, and your clit begging for attention. You began to rub and twirl at your bundle of nerves, you let lose little moans and whimpers which echoed in the room. Kylo's eyes were fixed on your fingers and your core, his lips slightly parted. You stroked your fingers downward and pushed your index and middle finger inside of yourself, moaning and humming as you bucked into your own hand.

When you removed your fingers to give your aching clit attention, Kylo lunged forward and grabbed your wrist. He pulled your hand up out of the water and brought your fingers to his mouth. Sucking and licking your two fingers clean.

His grip on your wrist was tight, and it slightly hurt. You could tell by the dark look in his eye that tonight was going to be one of _those_ kind of nights. And you weren't complaining.

"What did you imagine me doing to you when you touched yourself to me?" He asked, shoving your hand back under the water and pressing it to your center. You began to work your fingers against your clit again all while he held your hand down there.

"Y... y.... you." You stammered.

" _Show_ me." He said, his point very clear to you. In your mind you replayed that specific fantasy you had conjured up for yourself. The one where it was _that_ scene, from _that_ movie, but it was you and him.

Saying nothing more, Kylo leaned forward. The water sloshing out of the tub and onto the tiled floor below. He wrapped your legs around his waist and picked you up. He exited the tub, his mouth all over your tits as he brought you to the bedroom. He threw you down onto the bed, taking your arms and pinning them high above your head.

Neither of you cared that you were soaking wet and there was now a trail of water from the 'fresher to the bed. You wanted him and you wanted him bad.

You felt as The Force appeared around your wrists, keeping your hands and arms pinned high up over your head against the mattress. You kept your legs spread and knees bent as Kylo climbed up between them, kissing your damp skin as he went until his lips met yours.

His kisses always had a way of making you dizzy. They were like a drug. When given to you in abundance they made you high, bubbly, and hot. His hand glided up and down your frame, squeezing all your fleshy bits. Your thighs, your hips, your ass, your tits.

You were totally pinned to the bed. You wanted to touch him. You wanted to press your hands against his chest, pull him to you, and run your fingers up and down the muscular contours of his back. But you couldn't. He had you in a force hold.

He moved his mouth from yours and began aggressively nibbling and suckling at your neck. Moving downwards, you yelped as he bit down hard on your breasts. He bit and sucked at the tender flesh, leaving dark welts all around your nipples.

His hand dipped down and his fingers parted your folds, he rubbed through your core, teasing at your bundle before shoving two of his fingers into your hole. He did this all while he continued to assault your tits. You were an absolute mess, you were struggling to catch your breath and allow your mind to register all the pleasurable feelings your were experiencing.

You could feel your orgasm creeping up on you. It was building all while you whimpered, moaned, and begged. Just when you were about to crest your peak, Kylo removed his hands, sat up and pushed your legs closed.

"Wha... What!? No!!! _Please!"_ You begged. You stared up at him as he chuckled and gazed down at you.

"I said we were going to repeat that certain memory of mine." He darkly said, his hand drifting you your body and to your throat. His whole hand fit securely around your neck and he gave you a squeeze, momentarily choking off your air supply.

You then remembered the memory he was referring to. It was back at the beginning, back on Coruscant. Back then he had tied your hands to the headboard of the bed and edged you and edged you and edged you until you were sobbing, begging, and pleading.

Your legs began to shake, you couldn't tell if it was from being chilled from the water on your skin or if it was from your denied release. Kylo leaned forward and silenced your protests with his mouth, biting at your lips.

Once again he began to assault your face, neck, and chest with kisses. He worked his way down, teeth grazing over your stomach. He gripped at you knees, pried them open, and dove face first into your swollen, dripping center.

You cried out with both ecstasy, frustration, and slight pain as he began to twirl and suck on your clit. Once again he shoved two fingers inside of you, quickly finding that tender sweet spot deep within. You tried to focus on your breathing. You tried to keep quiet. Maybe if you faked it long enough, he wouldn't be able to tell you were about to cum and you could get your release.

You bit your bottom lip and squeezed your eyes shut. Humming to yourself, trying to keep control. You could feel it building. You were so close.

Once again, just as you were about to crest... he pulled away. Lurching forward until he was eye to eye with you. Hovering over you, keeping you caged to the bed.

"You think you can be sneaky don't you? I _own_ your body. I know every square inch of it. Every freckle. Every scratch. Every hair. _It's mine. You're_ _mine."_ He began. Your eyes were wide and your mouth a gasp as he spoke. It was true. You were his and only his.

"I know how your breathing changes when you're about to cum. How you knit your eyebrows together. How the walls of your _delicious_ pussy get tighter and swollen. I know it all. You can't hide it from me." He continued. You just laid there, gasping with your mouth hanging open. He lowered his hips to yours, rocking his hard, swollen erection between your folds, eliciting a slurry of incoherent words from you.

It was now taking Kylo a great deal of restraint to hold back. His erection was now reaching a point of painfulness. He wanted to edge you one more time, but he needed his own release.

Quickly and ferociously, he flipped you over. Your hands still pinned and extended over your head. He grabbed your hips and lifted you up until you were on your knees. You turned your head to the side so you could breathe and arched your back.

With zero warning he plunged himself balls deep inside of you, both of you crying out. He gripped your hips as he thrusted in and out. Tears fell from your eyes as you moaned and cried out his name over and over again. His skin aggressively slapped against yours and he couldn't hold back the moans escaping from his mouth, you were so swollen and tight that it was almost painful on him.

He was managing to hit that sweet spot deep within you. You needed nothing else than his dick to push you over the edge at this point.

"I'm gonna..." You began.

"Do it!" He said. With that you peaked and crested. Tears streaming down your face as you pulsated, clenched, and spasmed. You lost your breath, unable to make any noise as your eyes rolled to the back of your head. Your release sent him straight to his. He lowly groaned out as he released into you. He stood there still for a moment, deep inside of you as he caught his breath.

Both of you were now coming down your high, reality setting back in, clarity coming to your minds. It was then that Kylo realized that he never grabbed a condom. He quickly pulled out of you, released you form his force hold, and clambered to find his discarded shirt from the day.

You rolled over onto your back, still struggling to catch your breath as you realized what had just transpired.

 _It was fine. Everything was fine. It was fine._ You thought over and over to yourself. Quickly, Kylo came back to you and started cleaning you up with his shirt.

"Shit... I'm sorry... it was just too good." He said.

"It's fine. It was bound to happen eventually." You said. You were confident it was going to be fine. You were already doing math in your head based on some facts about the female reproductive system that Danka had ironically shared with you recently. It was fine. This _one_ time was going to be fine.

You began to get up. Your muscles had been sore before, but now you felt like a bowl of jello. You braced onto Kylo as you tried to get your bearings before hobbling back to the 'fresher to clean up. You caught sight of yourself in the mirror and audibly laughed. You hadn't washed your face yet, so your mascara was smeared all over your eyes and your hair looked like you had been struck by lightning.

You took a few moments to wash up and then rejoin Kylo back in the bedroom. He was sitting on the edge of the bed gazing out into space.

"Hey." You softly said, sitting down next to him. He turned to look at you and he searched your face, trying to ensure you weren't mad at him or upset in any way. Seeing that you genuinely were fine, he sighed and pulled you down onto the mattress. The two of you cuddled up under the blankets and swiftly found sleep.  
  
  


***  
  
  


Kylo's communicator blasted in the dead of night, the light from the screen enough to flood your room with light. Both of you jumped awake, your hearts racing. Kylo reached over you on to the nightstand where he had placed it the night before, and with a groggy voice he answered it.

"Hello... what?... Now... How long do we have?... We're on our way." You heard him say before turning off his communicator and flicking on the lamp on the nightstand.

"What's going on?" You said, a bit panicked in your voice.

"It was Ap'lek.... Estrid came back. There's news about an impending attack. We have time to prevent it. We have to get ready now." Kylo said as he scrambled to get out of bed.

You too began to push the blankets off of you and rush to the dresser to pull out whatever clothes you could throw on yourself. You frantically pulled your messy hair into a bun and slipped on a pair of shoes. Within a matter of minutes you and Kylo were both out the door.   
  
  
  
  
  


************   
  
  


**A/N**

**Hey. Hi. How y'all doin?????**

**Just wanted to say hey. I GENUINELY will be trying to only do one chapter a week now. Seeing your comments and reactions gives me life and serotonin, and I want to make this story last as long as possible! LOL.**

**If you aren't following me on TikTok please do... my username is Commander_Nanata on there as well. Also if you are a new reader, feel free to also check out my other work "The In Between".**

**I hope y'all are well!!!**

**xoxo,**

**Nia** 💋


	35. Rescue Missions

It was three in the morning. The night was still and colder than usual. You and Kylo rushed as fast as the transport would fly back to the base. When you arrived you were met with all the exhausted and worried faces of fellow allied leaders. Everyone came immediately, right out of bed, wearing either their pajamas or a bathrobe. No one had a positive look on their face.

You went to your seat at the head of the table, across from Leia who was looking stern and solemn. Kylo sat down beside you and motioned towards Estrid, who was the only person in the room who was fully dressed.

"I just landed from Coruscant. I had been frequenting bars and clubs where known Imperialists gathered. Over the course of the past few weeks, I was able to make friends with the wife of one of Dorin's newly appointed Generals. Once you get a few drinks in her, she talks freely. After gaining her trust, she informed me that at the end of the week, Dorin's forces plan to purge the planet Framsis. Framsis is a small swamp planet, the native species of lifeforms that reside there are a somewhat advanced Amphibian species who call themselves Framecians." Estrid began.

A hologram appeared above the table and showed the small swamp planet and images of the Framecians. They were an intelligent species capable of space travel and trade that had their own society, language, and social hierarchy. Estrid went on to explain that the Framecians are a peaceful group who's populations have been dwindling since the outbreak of a rare fungus that attacks their eggs.

"The off world fungus was introduced eighty some odd years ago, and it has decimated their populations. At one time they had a population on the planet nearing a million, but now there are only 5000 individuals of breeding age left. With some efforts during the era of the New Republic, the fungus was able to be controlled and their populations rebound somewhat. Dorin plans to completely eradicate them at the end of the week. A total genocide." Estrid said.

Throughout the room there was murmurings and rumbles of detest and anger over why Dorin was choosing to wage war and kill an innocent population who had done nothing wrong.

"How can we prevent this catastrophe!?" Leia asked.

"We can evacuate the planet. It's harsh, I know, but the Farmecians are very adaptable, they just need to find a home on another swamp planet and they can thrive." Estrid said.

"Would it be wise to waste resources in a rescue mission like this?" Another Resistance Leader asked.

"Dorin's kill count is nearing a million as we speak, we haven't been able to prevent any other attacks like this. If we could help just one population, it's worth it." Rey interjected.

"I agree. We have been working hard to come together, we have to start _somewhere._ " You said.

"What are the logistics of it? How do we organize it?" One of your Captains asked.

"The Finalizer is perfectly capable of housing that many life forms, utilizing an adapted emergency evacuation plan we already have in place, we can orderly evacuate the planet in a matter of hours." Hux said.

"We have an emergency plan like that?" Kylo asked.

"Yes. For events such as disasters and other sorts of attacks. The First Order had contingencies for almost every situation." Hux replied.

"We can adapt the Dying Sun Emergency Evacuation Plan. Or the D. U. E. E plan. It's the emergency plan we had in place for planets in the event their Sun started to die." Danka added.

"Excellent idea, Darling." Hux said, beginning to rummage through his Datapad for the appropriate files.

"How soon can we get this plan operational?" Kylo asked.

"Four hours." Hux replied.

"What do you need from the rest of us?" Leia asked.

"Volunteers ready to depart immediately. Fleet support for security. Perhaps medical aid." Hux said.

"You'll have the X-Wings and our Medical Ship." Leia said.

"Alright. Get to it. Start waking people up, gather as many volunteers as possible." Kylo ordered. Everyone in the room began to scramble and start to head out to their various positions.

"I'm going with The Finalizer to oversee the rescue mission." Kylo said, glancing between you and his mother.

"What? Are you sure it will be safe? What if during the process Dorin learns about what we are doing?" You began to question. And as you questioned, you began to panic. You most certainly did _not_ want him to leave. The two of you hadn't been apart for more than a few hours since the events surrounding The Command Ball and your heart stung at the idea of him leaving Naboo.

It was a risk.

Everything was a risk at this point. Yet it was most bearable when the two of you were _together._

"We'll have the population evacuated in a matter of hours. It will take less than a day. You said yourself that we need to lead by example. What better example is there than for me to go myself and lead the operation?" He said.

"Son..." Leia began.

"Not you too." Kylo grumbled.

"We can't risk Dorin getting wind of this. The two of you need to stay out of harms way until we are fully able to guarantee a victory against him. If we lose you..." Her voice was choking up. Instinctively you reached out across the table and took her hand.

"I will go in the Night Buzzard, with the Knights, we will oversee at a distance that way if anything happens we can abandon the area." Kylo said.

"You don't have to go _at all._ " You pleaded. " _Please_ don't go."

"I need to be a leader. They're my... _our_... citizens." Kylo said. You looked at Leia and she looked at you. There was no reasoning with him. His mind was made. Whether you liked it or not, he was going.

"Fine. You always do what you want anyway. Never listen to what I say. Just a hard headed asshole sometimes." You said, kicking your seat out from under you and quickly leaving the room, making sure to slam the door as you left.

"Baby... Don't be like that!!!!" You heard him shout after you. It stopped you in your tracks once you were out in the hallway. Did he just call you baby? In front of his _mother?_ Stars almighty... The Galaxy was going to end.  
  
  


***  
  
  


You were pissed that he was going. You were so angry you really didn't know how to react. You were at a state of wanting to cry but also wanting to punch a hole in the wall. You found solitude in your office. Pulling your office chair into the corner and sitting down to sulk.

You felt childish, but you were just so overwhelmed. You made the mistake of falling down the rabbit hole of thinking about The Ball, what happened, Jacen, how Kylo had left you. You had been doing so well recently, you were healing. Yet now, alone in your office you were falling apart all over again.

Out side your office door you could hear boots marching and hurrying towards various directions. You heard someone jiggling at your locked office door, you just knew it had to be him. You just rolled your eyes and scoffed. Eventually the door slid open and light flooded your office.

"Go away." You said.

"It's me." It wasn't the voice you had been expecting, in fact, it was the last voice you ever thought to hear. You loudly sniffled and wiped your eyes of your tears and turned around.

It was Leia.

"He's just..." You went to begin.

"A stubborn, hard headed, impassioned, quick tempered, Bantha sized idiot?" She chuckled as she entered the space.

"Yeah. That." You said with a slight chuckle. With a slight smirk on her face she crossed the room and you watched with awe as she used The Force and pulled a chair up to sit in front of you.

"I have experienced my fair share of pain in life. It takes a very special kind of crazy to want to be part of _this_ family, I've come to realize." She said.

"I must be _extra_ special then... being a goddamn Palpatine and all. And the total dud of the family too. The dumb, ungifted middle child." You said.

"We all have out own gifts."

"Sometimes I get jealous. Of Kylo... and now Rey. Snoke wanted so bad for me to be _enough_ and I wasn't. Had I been maybe none of this would have happened."

"You can't think like that. We all have a role to play in the greater picture of things. You have already done so much."

"I don't feel like it. I feel like I've lost and am losing everything." You said through new tears.

"I tried to talk him out of it, but he's insistent. The last thing you want is to not see him before he goes. I made that mistake several times over the course of my marriage. I let anger get the best of me. Be... Kylo... what an idiotic name like the one I gave him wasn't nice enough..." She said rolling her eyes, her expression made you laugh.

"He's so much like his father, it's ridiculous. Go to him. Don't ever _temporarily_ part ways on bad terms. You'll always regret it and then you'll be pacing for hours with anxiety until he comes home." She said with a kind smile. You knew she was right. You would be pacing for hours, just like the last time when he went to Geonosis. You had fought then too.

You wiped your tears and got up. Together you and Leia went to the hangar where the Night Buzzard was being kept. Already all the Knights were ready. They were stern and had their fighting faces on as they inspected their weapons and equipment. At the center of them all was Kylo talking with Ap'lek and going over something on his Datapad.

The moment he saw you he ceased talking and Ap'lek snapped his fingers towards the other guys and they moved away to give you space. Leia had come with you and she just smiled and went over to where the guys stood.

"That's a fancy cane you got there!" You heard Vicrul say to her.

"Hey." You said to Kylo.

"Hey." He replied.

"Is there anything I can say... or _do_ that'll make you change your mind?" You asked.

"Not this time." He said with a knowing smirk.

"Well... you better come back to me. Or else."

"Or else what?"

"I'll... hop in The Valiance and do more stupid stuff." You nervously laughed. Kylo also nervously chuckled. He briefly looked around the space and saw that The Knights were occupied with showing his mother their weapons. He took a step closer to you, forcing you to crane your neck to look up at him.

"I'll come back, I promise." He said, you felt his hands find your waist. Checking one more time to ensure everyone's attentions were preoccupied, he leaned down and kissed you. You wrapped your arms around him and pulled him tightly to you, hugging him deeply. Reluctantly, he broke the kiss and gazed at your face.

"We have to go."

"Ok."

"Ap'lek is staying behind." He said.

"What? Why?" You questioned.

"I can't leave you _totally_ unattended." He said, reaching up and cupping your face with both his hands.

"Oh alright."

"We should be back before sundown here. I promise. I love you." He said, leaning down and kissing you again. He hesitated, but he pulled away. You watched as the knights noticed he was ready and they turned their attentions back to their master.

They all began to go back to what they were doing, boarding the ship and gathering supplies. You watched as Kylo said a brief goodbye to his mother before climbing the rampart of the Night Buzzard. He turned back and looked at you, giving you a wink.

You felt your throat get tight as the ramp of the ship raised itself. The engines fired up, moving the air in the hangar. Leia and Ap'lek were soon at your side, the three of you watching the rugged dark ship take off.

You stayed put looking out the opening of the hangar as The Buzzard and The Finalizer disappeared out of orbit.  
  
  


***

The sky was starting to get light as the sun was just beginning to rise on Naboo. Despite saying goodbye to Kylo you were still pacing back and forth with nervousness. You managed to walk a whole lap around the base, you bothered Hux at least ten times asking for any updates, and poor Danka was following you around like a loyal puppy.

"Ma'am.... maybe we could go back to the Villa. Hux will keep us updated remotely and we can get some rest." Danka suggested.

"What if something happens? I need to be here just in case." You rationalized.

"You heard what Hux said not five minutes ago. The Finalizer and all ships arrived safely to Framsis and they've started the evacuation plan. The Framecians are cooperating and are proving to be very organized."

"But what if..." You went to begin.

"We waste more time and stress worrying about what ifs. We need to focus on what we can control in the moment." You turned to see Leia walking down the hall towards you, Rey and another person at her side. You just loudly sighed.

"You look exhausted. Officer Danka is right. You should go back to your villa. Try and sleep. When the Framecians arrive, you'll need to have your energy to help with the relocation initiative." She said with a kind smile on her face.

"You look so tired. You need some rest." Rey softly said. You were now surrounded by kind faces, people who looked like they were genuinely caring for your wellbeing. You felt your shoulders start to relax and your exhaustion start to set in.

They were right, you needed to sleep.

You just nodded your head and Leia held her arm out to you, putting her arm around your shoulders, you all began to walk to the transport hangar to be taken back to The Villa.

Back at the villa Leia, Rey, Danka, Ap'lek, and the other companion whom you soon learned was Finn, all made themselves comfortable.

"Here. I sometimes have to use this after a busy day. It's gentle and won't make you feel groggy." Danka said, handing you a sleeping pill. The sun had completely risen and the birds were singing. You took the pill and went and locked yourself in the bedroom while the others made themselves comfortable in other areas of The Villa.

It didn't take long for the pill to take it's affects, lulling you into a deep dreamless sleep.

***

When you awoke, you immediately sat up and check the clock. It was just before noon, meaning you got a solid five hours of sleep in and that it had now been eight hours since Kylo and the Knights departed Naboo with the Finalizer and other ships. You quickly got out of bed and left your room, relieved to see that everyone was gathered in the living room playing some sort of card game and looking at ease.

"Good morning!" Rey said to you cheerfully.

"Good morning.... any updates?" You asked.

"The evacuation is ongoing as we speak. The medical ship should be the one that arrives back first, I spoke with Kylo only ten minutes ago. All is well." Ap'lek said with a reassuring smile on his face.

"Oh thank the stars." You said, leaning up against the doorframe with relief.

"Come join us, we have a fruit platter." Leia said to you. From everyone's genuine calmness about what was going on, it put you at ease. Maybe this was going to all work out in the end.

They were already half way through some sort of card game so you just watched and listened while eating fruit. It took them an additional hour to finish and in that time you got word that the Medical ship was going to be returning to Naboo with about 50 elderly and infirm Framecians onboard.

"Hux say's there's no need for you to come back to the base yet. Most of those onboard were put on the medical ship out of precaution." Danka advised you.

After they finished their card game Rey and Finn left to explore the Villa's gardens, Ap'lek was napping on the couch, and Danka was going to run back to the base to make sure Hux ate lunch. It was just you and Leia.

You felt totally awkward at first. Not knowing what to say, but then she started to deal out the card to you and insisted that she was going to show you how to play.

You spent the beginning of your time together just talking solely about the game. Leia offering your tips and all the advice on how to play the somewhat complicated game.

"This was Be.... Kylo's.... favorite game growing up. I'll never get used to that name." She chuckled.

"Oh... we've never played cards. I don't think we even own a deck."

"He was little when we played. He was good at it too. Would hand my ass to me half the time."

"What was he like? As a little boy?" You asked. For a moment Leia sighed.

"Bright. Mischievous. A handful. So very, very smart. But all boy. Boy was he all boy! He always had a film of dirt on him. He always got into something. As boys often do." She laughed. You smiled, but slowly your smiled faded. You thought of Jacen. Would he have been like that? A brief thought, an image, of a little boy with dark curly hair running through the halls of The Valiance, dodging Stormtroopers as he went.

"No one.... told me much. About.... about the baby." Leia cautiously said, sensing where your mind had gone as she played her next hand of cards.

"It was a boy. We named him Jacen." You said, placing your card down onto Leia's.

"I like that name. Han and I actually had it on our short list for baby names."

"Really!?"

"Oh yes. But the name Ben really stuck out to Han." She said, now it was her turn for her smile to slowly fade. You two played a few cards before you spoke again.

"He had nightmares for weeks after..... after Han. Snoke lied to him. He lied to both of us. He made us believe that if we did certain things it would make us... 'better'." You began. Leia looked up at you and blinked a few times, waiting for you to continue.

"He doesn't know that I know about the Nightmares. I would feel him twitching in the bed or he would be saying things over and over in his sleep. We don't talk about it, but I know he regrets what he did." You went on.

"It's just very hard for me to understand sometimes." She said.

"Snoke.... the lies... he somehow managed to make it all make sense. We were both very convinced."

"What... what was it like?" She asked. You took a deep breath in and began to tell her. You told her all the awful things Snoke said and did to you. How he made you feel worthless. How he stripped you of your mind and your voice. You told her Kylo's story from your perspective. How Snoke stalked him and brainwashed him. You told her as much as your emotions at that point would allow.

Through it all she listened intently. Hanging on to your every word and detail. As you spoke it got easier to talk to her. You found yourself telling her about your time on board the Supremacy and all the little awkward interactions you and Kylo had had over the years.

"So... he killed Snoke. Took over. And all you two did was sign papers and called that a wedding???" Leia questioned.

"Yeah." You shrugged.

"Well one day we'll make sure you have a _proper_ celebration." She chuckled.

"That would be lovely." You sighed.

"Tell me... be honest.... is he.... kind to you?" She sincerely asked.

"Oh most certainly! He's always been the most gentle and kind to me. He's also very respectful, but don't tell him I told you. He would _hate_ for anyone to know that behind closed doors he's a giant softy." You smiled.

"I... thought my son was lost forever. I knew deep down there was still good in him. I can see now that all it took was someone _special_ to start to bring it out again." She said, reaching across the card table and taking your hand. You smiled, her words making you feel warm and special.

The two of you had slowed down with your card game and it had just come to a stop, both of you now totally disinterested in it.

"I think that's enough cards for the day, let's go for a walk." Leia said, to which you agreed.  
  
  


***  
  
  


**_Kylo's POV_ **

The Framecians were a very organized and stoic group of Lifeforms. When the ships arrived it took only a matter of a few hours for the Framecians to get in line and be ready for departure. There was little to no push back, the group was highly intelligent and incredibly understanding. It was true that they were about to leave behind their entire lives, yet given the gravity of the situation, the Framecians worked and moved quickly.

Things were going so smoothly that Kylo started to admit to himself that maybe he didn't need to come after all. In no time, the Framecians organized their own elderly and infirm and boarded them up on to the medical ship. The medical ship was the first to depart while the rest of the population lined up to be boarded onto The Finalizer.

The majority of the time Kylo and The Knights stayed in orbit and received updates from The Finalizer as to how things were going. Kylo got in contact with Ap'lek and let him know how things were going and was pleased to hear from Ap'lek that they convinced Y/N to go back to the Villa to sleep and rest. Kylo's mind was half on the evacuation plan and half on Y/N.

"They're loading up the last hundred Framecians now, should be complete within the half hour, and then we depart back for Naboo." Ushar informed Kylo.

"Perfect. Excellent." Kylo said.

"Just got word from Poe Dameron leading the X-Wings, they're going to do a sweep of the planet's surface to ensure that no one was left behind." Kuruk said. For a brief moment, Kylo's first thought was to say that they could pack it up and head back to Naboo, yet what harm would it be to wait thirty minutes more?

"Tell Dameron we are on standby in the event anyone was left behind." Kylo said.

"Affirmative." Kuruk said. Kylo shifted his wight in his seat and clicked on his datapad. The Lock Screen of his dadtapad was a picture of Y/N, a snapshot he snuck of her when she wasn't looking. He swiped over to the messaging application and shot her a quick message.

**KYLO:**

**_Finishing up. All is smooth. Be home soon._ **   
  
  


Almost immediately, a message came back from her.  
  
  


👸🏻🤭❤️:

**_YAY!!! Come home! I miss you! I played cards with your mom. She showed me baby pictures of you LOL._ **   
  
  


**Kylo:**

**_NO!!!!_ **

👸🏻🤭❤️ **:**

**_Too late. Come home safe. Love you._ **

**Kylo:**

**_Love you._ **

Kylo chuckled to himself as he clicked off the datapad. It took only a few more minutes before a message came in from The Finalizer that they were ready to depart. They watched together as the massive star destroyer disappeared into HyperSpace. All that was left to do was wait on the word of Poe Dameron and the others that the sweep was completed.

Kylo listened intently on the communication link as each X-Wing cleared their sector of the planet, ensuring that all Framecians had been accounted for.

"I just saw a blip on my radar." One X-Wing pilot said.

"We've got nothing up here." Vicrul communicated down.

"Must be a glitch. Your ship is due for a scheduled radar tune up." Dameron said to the other pilot.

"Affirmative." The pilot said. Kylo was looking over at Vicrul who sat at the radar station of The Night Buzzard. All was clear. There was nothing for parsecs. Vicrul was chatting with Cardo who sat next to him when Kylo saw something briefly blink on the screen.

"What was that?" Kylo said.

"Another blip."

"We just saw one too."

"Yeah same here."

"I saw it, it's gone now." All the X-wing pilots began to radio in. All the Knights stood up and walked over to the radar. Whatever it was... it wasn't there anymore.

But then they _all_ saw it blink again.

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

***  
  
  


The afternoon sunshine was warming your shoulders as you stood outside on the patio of the Villa. Looking up and shielding your eyes from the sun you waited anxiously to see The Finalizer reappear. Sure enough it did, and everyone who was all watching with you broke out into applause.

You sighed a loud sigh of relief. First the medical ship, then other support ships, now the Finalizer. All that was left to return were the X-Wings and The Night Buzzard. It shoudn't be much longer now.

You walked over to the small table that sat outside on the patio. There was a crystal pitcher filled with lemonade and platters of other snacks that you were helping yourself too. You picked up your datapad and looked at the last message Kylo sent you.

_"Love you."_ it had read. You smiled to yourself and typed out another message to him to check on his progress.

**Y/N:**

**_The Finalizer has returned! Just waiting on you!_** 😘 ****

You waited for a few moments, but there was no reply. You knit your eyebrows together and anxiously looked up at the sky. Where was he?

To your right, Leia was sitting down reviewing things on her Datapad. She was reading reports that came in from her people reporting in on the mission. You jumped when you heard her take a sharp inhale in and then drop her Datapad. Her eyes immediately went skyward, clearly sensing something terrible and awful was currently taking place.

" _No."_ She uttered.

"What is it!? What's wrong!?" You asked, rushing over to her side. Before she could reply, Ap'lek appeared in the doorway, you turned to look at him and the expression on his face was all that you needed to see.

The glass of lemonade that you held in your hand fell and shattered at your feet.


	36. Disappeared

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Chaos was all around you. Everyone else moved quickly, but you were walking in a daze.

No tears fell from your eyes.

You barely spoke.

Rey just grabbed you by the arms and moved you out of the villa towards the waiting transport that was going to take you all back to the base. Everyone around you spoke. Not much was known other than a distress signal had been sent from The Night Buzzard.

The outside world whirled by you outside the transport windows. Upon arriving back to the base, people were running everywhere. You even spotted some of the Framecians disembarking their shuttles and being greeted by Gungans who were tasked as the welcoming party. An hour ago you had hoped to be part of that welcoming party.

You and Kylo.

Again, Rey had to grab you and physically get you to move. You were like walking though a cloud of confusion, anxiety, and inner turmoil. As soon as you entered the main building, Hux was right there. He began speaking to you but it was like his words were garbled. You couldn't hear. Everything was closing in all at once.

"Stop!" You said. All at once everyone stopped and looked at you.

"I just... I just..." You tried to begin.

"She needs us to go slower. I need you to go slower too." Leia piped up and said. That was exactly what you needed. Everything was just going so fast. You needed to process what you could.

"About a half hour ago the Night Buzzard issued a distress signal. It was while the Squadron of X-Wings was doing their final sweep of the planet's surface. All pilots confirmed that something popped up on their radar briefly and then disappeared. Moments later the distress call was issued. We are waiting for Poe Dameron and the others to return to tell us what they saw. What we do know is that The Night Buzzard's tracking device is unreachable and they aren't answering our calls." Hux said.

"Could it be a mistake? Could it be that they left to come back here and are currently still in HyperSpace?" You asked.

"It is a strong possibility, but normally The Supreme Leader and The Knights communicate with us." Hux said. It was then that a siren rang out on the base signaling the return of the X-Wing squadron. Everyone began to move all at once towards the landing pad. One by one the group of twelve X-Wings landed. The first to land was Poe Dameron. He jumped out of his ship and ran across the expanse to where you all were.

"What happened!?" Hux demanded.

"It's a lot... I don't know where to begin." He stammered.

"Well figure it out!" You barked.

"We were doing the sweep of the planet's surface. Everything was going fine until Davis said he saw something on his radar, we assumed it was a glitch. Less than a minute later we all caught something on radar. Immediately The Night Buzzard sent out their distress call. We abandoned the sweep of the planet to head back up into orbit. By the time we got up there all we saw was this massive ship, I've never seen anything like it. It was like some new age star destroyer. It had The Buzzard in some sort of Hyper Tractor Beam, literally sucking The Buzzard toward it. We tried to engage but we were nothing more than flies to the thing. It sucked the Buzzard into one of it's hangars and then disappeared into Hyper Space." Dameron explained.

Your stomach dropped to your feet. Dorin... Dorin had Kylo. Not only did Dorin have Kylo but he had Vicrul, Ushar, Cardo, Trudgen, and Kuruk as well. You knew in your gut that this is what happened.

"He's not dead. None of them are. I can sense it. I _feel_ it." Leia said, but this did nothing to calm your nerves.

"What do we do now?" You asked.

"We... we...." Hux went to begin but even he was at a loss as to what to do.

"Is there anyway we can get in contact with Dorin or with Shadow Watch or anyone!? Do they want a ransom? Do they want us to surrender? What!? We need to find out!" You began to panic, your voice wavering.

"We don't even know for sure if that's who took them." Hux said.

"Who else would it be!? Who else has these new secret ships and would solely be after Kylo like this!?" You said, your voice raising and cracking.

"We need to remain calm. All will be revealed in time." Leia cautioned you. How could you possibly remain calm right now? Your world was crumbling apart and there was nothing you could do about it.

"We need to know more about what Shadow Watch is up to right now and where the greater fleet is. We also need to get the Framecians relocated. Hopefully when all that is said and done we will know more about how we can negotiate the supreme leader and the Knight's return." Hux said. Everyone nodded in agreement and all seemed to know what to do. Everyone turned and went to go handle something or another, leaving you in the hallway.

Ap'lek stepped forward and put an arm around your shoulder and began to move you down the hallway.

"He's going to be fine, Love. All the boys are going to be fine. They've been in worse situations before." Ap'lek said.

"I'm not so sure about things this time." You replied. 

***

Hours had passed and there had been no changes. No updates. No news. Nothing. 

Kylo and The Knights were simply gone. 

Vanished. 

Disappeared.

You held your head in your hands as people argued all around you as to how to next proceed. Do you reach out to your enemy? If you did and they didn't have them then you would effectively be giving them information for free. 

You heard the doors to the council room open and close. There was a new voice added to the mix, and then you heard Hux pipe up.

"Well patch it though!!!" He ordered. The room grew dim and a hologram appeared on the table in front of you all. 

It was a message from Dorin himself. 

_"Well... I'm sure you're probably wondering what happened to your precious Supreme Leader and his team of little thugs. Don't worry. They're safe with me... for now. Your little rebellion means nothing to me. I will squash you, I will end you, just like I've already ended other pests in the galaxy already. You will not get in the way of my grand vision. And to my little sisters who seem hell bent on disrespecting their older brother..... I'm more than willing to forgive you, if you join me. Make up your minds, I can only keep prisoners alive for so long."_

The hologram message ended and the room stood still in darkness. That was it. That was the confirmation you needed. Dorin had Kylo and The Knights. He was hell bent on completing his grand plan for the galaxy, and now he wanted you and Rey to join him? It was a far cry from him trying to kill you weeks ago. He had to be lying. 

"We have to find out where their home base is and we must attack, with everything we got!" Poe exclaimed.

"It isn't that simple. They have the latest and strongest technology available to them, not to mento these new ships that clearly are capable of things our ships are not! We must plan accordingly." Hux said.

"Who knows how much time we have!" Dameron argued. 

"We have to approach this with caution." Hux said. You were beginning to feel _very_ overwhelmed. You could handle strategy for other aspects of conflict, you could handle politics, and humanitarian things, but _this_ , this was beyond your scope. 

Slowly you got up out of your seat while a heated dispute on how to proceed broke out. You managed to leave the room without anyone noticing. You made your way through the halls and to the transport hangar, there you ordered a Trooper to take you back to the villa. 

You wanted to be alone. 

The villa was silent when you got there. You kicked off your shoes. Part of you just wished that you would arrive and Kylo would be there and say something stupid like:

_"Sorry, the communicator broke. We're back now!"_

But that wasn't to be. He was really gone, a captive of Dorin's and Shadow Watch. How long Dorin would keep him and the others alive, you didn't know. Were they scared? Was Kylo thinking of you? Was Doin just telling lies?

You laid down on the bed and just stared up at the ceiling. 

Time passed and you watched as the light from the window moved across the ceiling. Hours must have passed with you laying just like that. Eventually you heard the doors to the villa open and you heard some people calling out your name, but you didn't answer. 

The door to the bedroom opened and you heard that it was Estrid.

"I found her." She called out as she entered the room.

"Hey Love," She consolingly said coming over to the bedside and sitting down. 

"Any news?" You simply asked.

"Not yet. They're working hard on it, I know for sure." She replied as she stroked your leg as a way to comfort you. 

"Well then until anyone knows anything, I want to be left alone." You sternly said.

"Oh Love, but we brought dinner!" You heard Ap'lek say as he marched into the room. He went over to the other side of the bed and sat down as well with bags of food in his arms. You immediately sat up in bed completely annoyed at their intrusion. 

How could they be so calm? How could they have smiles on their faces? How could they be thinking about food right now? Kylo, the guys, they had all been kidnapped, they were being held prisoner in conditions that were probably appalling, and Ap'lek and Estrid were here _smiling_ at you.

"What the fuck is wrong with you two!?" You said. Immediately their facial expressions changed from casualness to a look of concern. 

"My husband was _taken as prisoner,_ and so were your _brothers._ Or do you not care!?" You said, raising your voice.

"We do care! We are working very hard with everyone to figure things out!" Estrid said.

"This isn't out first rodeo with this, Love. One time Cardo and Ushar got kidnapped by two hookers. It took us three weeks to find the two idiots." Ap'lek said.

"And I'm sure the hookers were _just_ as terrifying and evil as Dorin!" You said, lacing your words with sarcasm.

"This is a serious situation, we know that. But... there's only so much we can do _right now_. We need to keep ourselves together so that we can fight Dorin." Estrid said.

"If the tables were turned, if it was me that was taken instead of Kylo, you'd all already be out there waging war! _That_ is what we need to be doing." You said, feeling yourself fill with rage.

"And wage war against whom and where? We don't even know where they are keeping Kylo and the boys yet. We will fight when we figure that out." Ap'lek said, shoving a bowl of noodles into your lap. He was right, you looked down into the bowl of noodles and realized you were insanely hungry.

"He's alive though? They're alive?" You asked.

"Yes." Both Estrid and Ap'lek said. With that you grumbled to yourself and began eating the noodles. While you ate, Estrid and Ap'lek got you up to speed as to what had been done in your absence. 

The Crimson Dawn was stepping up and sending out some of their soldiers to act as spies around the Galaxy. They were to report back if they heard anything about where Dorin was hiding with his fleet ship. Also, several other ambassadors from various planets have also stepped up to use their resources to find out anything. Everyone was confident that soon, it would be known as to where Kylo and the guys had been taken. 

"The best thing we can do right now is be prepared to move at a moment's notice. We need to be ready to fight if need be." Ap'lek said.

"Yes, the moment the word comes back that we know where they are, we will move immediately." Estrid added.

"Good. I'll need to be ready." You said looking at Ap'lek.

"What are you looking at me for?" He asked.

"You're going to teach me how to properly fight. I want to kill Dorin myself."

***

**_Kylo's POV_ **

The massive ship exploded out of hyperspace the mere milliseconds after they all saw the blip on the radar. They had never seen anything like it. The ship was darker, sleeker, and clearly had technology they could inly _dream_ of having access to. 

"Move us!" Kylo shouted. Already Ushar and Cardo were working on getting The Buzzard fired up and out of the massive ship's path.

"Punch it!" Cardo yelled at his brother.

"I AM! It's been disabled!" Ushar yelled back. The controls on board the Buzzard were beeping and chiming, all the lights were blinking and flashing. Somehow, this attacking ship had managed to remotely disable The Night Buzzard. The ship shook as they felt the rumble of the attacking ship's Tractor Beam take hold.

"FUCK!" Kylo yelled. They could hear the X-wing pilots yelling and shouting over the communication system. Dameron was ordering them all into formation. Kylo and The Knights watched as the X-Wings tried to engage the massive ship, but it was to no avail. 

It was like the massive ship had a forcefield around it, the blasts from the x-wings were absorbed into the invisible shielding, causing no damage. The Buzzard was quickly being sucked towards an awaiting hangar. As the ship was dragged closer, they could see that they would be facing off with New Imperial Stormtroopers. 

This was Shadow Watch.

This was Dorin.

This was their enemy. 

"Is there anything we can do!?" Vicrul shouted.

"I'm trying to bypass power to utilize emergency reserves! Nothing is working!" Trudgen said.

"It's too late." Kylo said, his eyes fixated out the front of the cockpit. They were close enough to now see the faces of who was capturing them. 

Pryde and Dorin stood at the ready.

"What do we do!?" Kuruk asked, looking at Kylo.

"We kick ass or die trying." Kylo said, gripping his lightsaber. All the others moved at once, grabbing their weapons and turning to face the door of the ship. They were going to attempt to fight their way out of this one. They had no choice. 

The ship had now been sucked into the hangar and there were dozens upon dozens of enemy stormtroopers at the ready. Outside the ship, they could still hear Dameron and the others trying whatever they could. 

The Buzzard came to a rest on the platform within the hangar.

"Get ready." Kylo said, igniting his saber. All the Knights took their stances. In the corner of his eye, Kylo saw his Datapad light up with the familiar icons he had set to show that it was Y/N. 

The Buzzard went dark and they waited for the doors of the ship to open. They could hear shouting from the outside. Kylo and the Knights strained to hear what was being shouted. 

And then the ship shook. 

It was like they were being hit with lightning. In fact they _were_ being hit with lightning. The ship had been purposely electrified. Bolts filled the cockpit. One by one each of the knights fell, paralyzed by the shock of electricity. Kylo tried to focus his energy and strength, but was too much even for him.

Kylo fell to the ground, the last thing he saw were the faces of Cardo and Vicrul writhing in pain.

***

The audible sound of water dripping came into focus first. The air was damp and cold, and the light was dim. Kylo groaned as his eyes opened and his mind came to. Every muscle, even every bone in his body ached. He was laying on the damp floor of some sort of jail cell. 

Rolling over on to his side, his eyes started to focus on his surroundings. How long had he been passed out? Where was he? Where were the others? Was Y/N still safe? 

Kylo found himself to be in a small, damp, dark cell. In one corner was a crude bucket, into which water from the ceiling was dripping. The door to the cell was nothing more than a stone slab with a hole cut though letting in a very small beam of light. Slowly, Kylo got up and went to the cell door. He noted that there was a heaviness around his wrists and ankles. 

Looking down he saw that he had these metallic cuffs fashioned to his wrists and ankles. What they were, he did not know. He staggered to the door and looked out the small hole, he could see out into a hallway where there were other similar doors.

"Who's not dead!?" He yelled out. Slowly he heard the sound of five separate groans and curse words. 

"Where the fuck are we!?" he heard Kuruk yell.

"Jail." Vicrul shouted back.

"Thank you captain obvious." Cardo shouted.

"Does anyone else have cuffs on their hands and feet?" Kylo shouted out.

"Yeah!" They all said. 

"Is anyone severely injured?" Kylo asked.

"No!" They all replied.

"Alright. Hold on." Kylo said. Stepping back from the cell door he lifted his hand and attempted to move the door with The Force, however, the moment he tried, he was shocked with electricity by the cuffs on his ankles and wrists. 

"FUCK!!!" Kylo screamed. "They have Force Binders on us!" 

"Dammit!"

"Shit!"

"Fuck!"

"They're itchy!" One of the guys groaned. Out of the darkness they heard laughter echoing through the halls. All at once, in each of their cells, the guys moved to their doors to see Dorin walking down the hallway.

"So... I see you all are acclimating well to your new accommodations." Dorin said. No one said anything to him as he paced back and forth between the cells. 

"You probably think you're so clever, working out how to be one step ahead of me with my plans. Well... now it looks like I have the upper hand now!" Dorin chuckled. 

"You won't win this!" Kylo said.

"Oh dear brother... you see I already have." Dorin said, turning towards Kylo's cell. "By capturing you, I've essentially already won this little scrimmage you dare to call a war. I'll give it to the end of the week until my little sisters come crawling to me, begging for forgiveness, and coming to their senses."

"They'll never bend to you." Kylo said.

"What doesn't bend will _break_. I never _really_ wanted them dead. I just want them to see what the future can hold. What the future can hold if they choose to give themselves to the cause."

"Then why did you try and kill Y/N? Why did you....?" Kylo began to get heated, his voice cracking at what he was trying to ask.

"We all have a purpose in this Galaxy. We all have an opportunity to be great, and to further our greatness. The best way to do that is to think about the future generations and to _strategically_ design how they come about. It is my goal to ensure that there is order and arrangement when it comes to how and to whom children are born to. The Force may be strong with you, but your bloodline has only proven to be one of failure and weakness. Once I have my dear sister with me, I will ensure she is paired with someone... more _favorable_." Dorin said with a sickly smile.

Kylo wanted to reach through the cell door and strangle Dorin where he stood. There was no way Dorin was going to get his hands on Y/N and use her for his own purposes and _give_ her to someone else. There was no way Kylo would allow that to happen.

"So... enjoy your stay here for a while. Whether I like it or not... you six are useful to me. So get comfortable." Dorin said, announcing to everyone before turning to leave. Using the Force, Dorin disappeared into a flash of light as he had done in times past. 

Balling his hand into a fist, Kylo stepped back and hurled a punch into the door. There was nothing he could do. No way to warn Y/N or the others of Dorin's plan. Surely Dorin was going to use them as bait to lure them to wherever they were. If they came, then surly Dorin would capture Y/N and take her away from him forever. 

Kylo fell to his knees and let out a scream of anguish.

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

*********

**A/N**

**Yeah. So I feel like this chapter is all over the place. Idk. How do you feel. lemme know.**

**xoxo,**

**Nia 💋**


	37. Dreams

Your breath was knocked out of you the moment your back hit the hard stone floor of the training platform. Ap'lek was showing no mercy.

No restraint.

No sympathy.

It's exactly what Kylo would have wanted.

Kylo wouldn't have wanted anyone to go easy on you during this situation.

He would want you as prepared as possible.

As ready as possible.

"Again!" Ap'lek said.

"Your feet are still all over the place!" Estrid added. You rolled over onto your side and groaned as you felt your sore muscles scream out at you in protest. You were angry now.

All morning Ap'lek was teaching you how to free yourself from being grabbed and detained. It was a struggle, you were getting frustrated, but you knew you had to endure. Anger pulsed through you veins now. You got up on your feet and rolled your shoulders.

"Do it!" You sternly said. Ap'lek lunged at you, but you allowed your anger to fuel you. His arms wrapped around you and he began pulling you away. You kept your feet firmly planted on the ground, weighting yourself down. You felt a slight ease in his grasp of you and you took your shot, hooking your leg around his, tripping him up, elbowing him in the gut.

It had only taken all morning of practice, but you had finally freed yourself from him. Knocking him down instead. You had done it. Finally!

Off to the side you heard Estrid applauding you and cheering you on. You turned and extended your hand to help Ap'lek up.

"Good job Love." He said, grabbing your hand and accepting your help. "Let's break for lunch and then some rest and we'll meet back here for some weapons training for the afternoon."

"Sounds good." You said as he rubbed his shoulder from the impact of falling. You watched as he walked over to Estrid and the two of them walked together inside the base. You turned and saw Rey and Finn with Leia over on another training pad. They were working on some sort of Force training or another.

Slowly you walked over and saw that they were very occupied, you didn't want to disturb them. So you just waved and took your leave. You passed various other groups of people who were working on something or another. Finally you passed Nilly.

Nilly had a blaster in her hand and was shooting at a target far down on a shooting range. You watched her for a while and noticed that she was hitting the bullseye of the target every single time. She then moved on to moving targets, which she managed to hit with the same amount of accuracy. Her blaster eventually jammed and in anger she threw it to the side.

"Hey." You said, getting her attention.

"Hey." She said with a sniffle. It had now been three days since the guys capture and you hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Nilly. You had been so consumed with gathering intel and starting your own training.

"How are you doing?" You asked.

"Fine... fine.... best as can be." She said sternly, you could tell she was putting up a front. You and Nilly hadn't yet gotten a chance to really get to know each other like you knew Estrid. So it was hard to try and proceed.

"Same." You responded.

"I mean... it's kind of what we signed up for right? Tying ourselves to the most dangerous men in the galaxy. It never was going to be a walk in the park... right?" She was saying these things, yet at the same time it felt like she was saying them as a way to keep herself in control.

"I'm going to lunch. Care to join me?" You asked.

"Sure." she replied. You couldn't help but notice she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. The two of you walked in silence to the cafeteria. You got your trays of food in silence, and for the start of your meal, you ate in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable silence. You really couldn't explain it. The two of you were both carrying the same weight. The same worries. The same anxiety.

"This isn't the first time something like this happened. But it's the first time it's affected me so badly." She finally admitted.

"I know the feeling. How did you and Trudgen meet?"

"In a prison." She answered, you almost choked on your drink at how quickly she responded to you. "It wasn't anything like that... we both broke into the prison to assassinate two completely different people."

"How romantic." You chuckled.

"We both realized rather quickly that we weren't actual prisoners. Just posers. So we teamed up. I helped Trudgen with his guy and he helped me with mine. I offered to give him some of my earnings for completing the mission.... but instead he asked if he could take me to dinner. I said yes." She said with a genuine smile on her face.

"How long ago was this?"

"About four years ago. We were on and off for a while at first. Our schedules constantly conflicting. I guess somewhere along the way Kylo saw that Trudgen was serious about me... and he started granting him more leave. Not to mention a partnership with the Crimson Dawn is always useful."

"I was nervous when they went on that raid to Geonosis. Any other missions or tasks that Snoke sent them on, I wasn't...."

"Attached yet?"

"Right."

"Two years ago the boys got themselves into a mess. They were supposed to steal these Jedi artifacts, but some black market sellers got there first. They managed to capture the guys. Kylo wasn't with them and Snoke forbade him from intervening. So Estrid and I had to track them down. It was a mess." She sighed.

"You found them yourselves? All on your own? How did you get through it?"

"Estrid's been through more. Apparently things were worse under the old master Ren, so she knew just what to do. We just took each day at a time, tried to keep our wits about us, and we got through it."

"I hope we get through this." You said. You didn't want to dampen the mood; you had worked so hard over the past few days not to wallow in your own sorrow, yet it was always there. Nagging at you.

"I won't lie.... I'm nervous. I'm hoping for the best, but I'm bracing myself for the worst. I don't want to scare you. But that's the truth. The moment we get the call that we know where they are... I'll be first in line to get to them. But part of me.... part of me is terrified."

"I know exactly what you mean." You reply.

The two of you are your lunch and just continued to chat. You chatted about Nilly's role in The Crimson Dawn. She told you more about the guys, especially stories you hadn't heard before. Before you knew it your little hour lunch break was up.

You still had an hour to yourself before you needed to meet back up with Ap'lek and Estrid, but you didn't want to keep Nilly from any of her necessary duties. The two of you parted ways, glad to have spent lunch together.

You made it to your office where you flopped down on the couch inside. Over the past few days you saw very little of Danka or Hux. They reported to you only when necessary per your request. You tasked Danka with all your usual mundane duties so that you could focus on training and getting ready. Ready for what, you still did not know.

Your whole body ached as you laid on the couch staring up at the ceiling. You began to long for Kylo's hands to massage away the pain, you wished for him to whisper nonsense into your ear, to kiss you, to hold you, to just be there with you.

You were going to find him. You were going to get him back. There was no way you could possibly go on with life without him.

You began to let your mind wander. You found yourself going down a very dark path of thought. What if Dorin wins? What if you lose Kylo at the hands of Dorin just as you had lost your baby? What would even be the point of going on anymore?

You shook those sinister thoughts from your mind. You couldn't give up. It wasn't an option. Just as Estrid had told you weeks ago, you had to keep on living. You had to keep on going... for them.

You already had made it so far in life. You had been kidnapped, raised by a dark lord, trained, abused, kept locked and hidden away, and so much more. You had already been through so much. You were going to get through this as well. You just had to.

You reached for your datapad and set an alarm for yourself. A twenty minute nap, that was all you needed before meeting Ap'lek and Estrid again.

***

"What am I looking at?" You asked, confused as to why Estrid was showing you her jewelry collection back in their rooms at the base.

"You tell me." Estrid replied.

"That's a hair pin, a brooch, a hair comb, and earrings." You said, pointing down at the collection of finely jeweled accessories.

"Look harder." Ap'lek now said. You gazed down at the unassuming pieces trying to figure out what sort of game Ap'lek and Estrid were now playing with you. That was when you saw it. These items, at first looked like regular jewelry pieces, but hidden under their gilded facade was something darker, more sinister.

You picad up the brooch and pressed down on the center jewel and it opened up like a lotus flower, revealing that it was a sharp razor bladed weapon you could attach to your hand.

"They're weapons?" You questioned.

"Yes. Every last on of them." Estrid said, taking the hair comb and showing you how it too transformed into a small handheld dagger. "I always have to have something on me. Sometimes I go places where they won't allow you to carry a blaster, so I wear something like this."

You pressed the button on the brooch again and it went back to its regular unassuming shape. You were mystified by it. It was the most genius thing you had ever seen.

"Try the hair pin." Ap'lek said. You picked up the gold hairpiece. It was an elegant piece, it looked like a shooting star upon a half crescent moon. It was made of gold and white genstones, and it was heavy. You weighed it in your hand and turned it over and over, the piece fit perfectly in your hand and you could securely hold it between your fingers in such a way that the pointed end jutted out between your middle and ring finger. You continued to search for it's hidden abilities until you noticed a small imperfection in the gold.

Pressing your finger to it, you felt it vibrate and out the pointed end came a 6 inch light saber like blade. It glowed red, just like Kylo's lightsaber, but this blade was steady, straight, lethal, almost like a needle.

"I personally have never used that one, but it is pretty." Estrid said.

"Who gave you that?" Ap'lek asked Estrid.

"Some assassin at a bar two years ago as payment for keeping something a secret or another, I don't remember." Estrid said, answering Ap'lek's question.

"It's like a mini lightsaber." You said as you wielded it around.

"It's similar technology, but it isn't as strong as a saber. A real saber would probably cut that one right in half, but you could probably stab someone with it." Ap'lek said.

"Let's work on discretion with some of these. How to get them on and off quickly, and how to use them." Estrid said.

You watched as Estrid demonstrated with Ap'lek how she uses each secret weapon in various situations. How if she were to be grabbed from behind, how she would deploy the brooch, or mange to turn a ring into a stun gun. She had dozens upon dozens of these secret weapons, she had a set of weapons that went with just about every outfit she owned.

You were both terrified and impressed. Terrified because the earrings you saw her wearing only a few days prior were actually micro explosives, and the bracelet she often wore could be used to decapitate a person.

After showing you the basics on how to use a few, Estrid told you it was your turn. You fumbled at first since the items were rather small, but eventually you got the hang of it. You started first with the bracelet. Ap'lek would grab you from behind and you would duck your chin down so that he didn't have access to choke you, you then managed to twist off the bracelet, press it's expanding button, and toss it around Ap'lek's head.

Of course you would never actually hurt Ap'lek, but it felt good knowing that in a real situation, these things would come in handy.

"You can have the hair pin. It's yours, I can't think of anything else more suitable than for The Mistress of The Knights of Ren to have a lightdagger." Estrid said. You smiled as you picked up the unassuming bejeweled pin. You twisted your hair and fastened it into place, it wasn't too bad. It would eventually pull at your scalp with it's weight, but at least you had a secret weapon on you now.

By the time afternoon training with Ap'lek and Estrid was over, you were exhausted. You checked back in with Danka and Hux one more time before heading back to the villa. You paused at the doorway of the base command center before leaving to see them both standing at the front. If there was one good thing you did lately, it was setting those two up.

You smiled to yourself as you watched Danka passionately show Hux something on her Datapad and then point out the windows towards the horizon. Hux had his hands clasped behind his back and he was hanging on to every last word Danka was saying. As she spoke, you saw him lift up a hand and tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, all without losing a moment of his attention on her.

It was cute.

The villa felt lonely and empty now. You mainly only came back to eat, bathe, and sleep. A care droid already had your food waiting for you when you arrived. You ate it slowly while catching up on galactic news on the holoprojector.

As usual, it was report after report of what Dorin was doing to the Galaxy. Your heart pained in your chest when you saw that he had enslaved thousands of prisoners he had captured and forced them to be moved to "rehabilitation camps". The news didn't know much about those camps, but you knew deep down that they had to be some kind of awful.

You clicked off the news and got up to ready yourself for bed. You had been having trouble falling asleep lately, so Dr. Petick prescribed you a sleeping pill for night time. Your care droid only dispensed one at a time to you per day. You picked up the pill from the droid as you went to the bedroom, and washed it down with one last glass of water.

You mindlessly went through your nighttime routine before settling into bed. You turned your head to look at Kylo's side of the bed. You were grateful the affects of the sleeping pill were starting to set in, for if you were awake much longer you would certainly spiral at the sight of his empty pillow.

You laid under a bright blue sky, puffy white clouds slowly floating against the blue canvas. You could feel a warm breeze against your cheek, and you could sense a presence at your side. You could hear birds singing in the distance, and the sound of a nearby stream. Everything felt peaceful and calm, almost like that afternoon you and Kylo spent in the meadow by those waterfalls on your first visit to Naboo.

Kylo....

You turned to your side to face him, only to be met eye to eye with Dorin.

You screamed and immediately rose to your feet and tried to turn way to run, only for Dorin to appear right in front of you out of a cloud of black smoke. Again you tried to turn away, only for him to reappear.

"Stop trying to run from me." He said. You suddenly became very aware of yourself. You were dreaming, this was a dream, he wasn't real. You closed your eyes and shook your head, trying to will yourself to wake up, but you didn't. You couldn't.

"You don't get to leave until I let you." Dorin said.

"What is this?" You asked, opening your eyes again.

"I wanted to have a little chat." He said, sitting back down in the grass and laying on his side with his head propped up on his robotic arm. He patted the spot next to him, urging you to sit down.

"What are you doing to me?" You said, taking a step away.

"I said... I wanted to have a little chat."

"You aren't real, this isn't real, this is a dream."

"A dream yes, but it most certainly is real. It is me talking to you, and you cannot escape, not until I allow it." He said.

"How!?"

"The dark side of the force is a pathway to many abilities that some consider to be unnatural. Now... sit dear sister. We need to have a chat." He said. You realized he was telling the truth. This was both your mind, but he was having sway over it. Despite being lightyears away from you, his power reached right out into your mind.

Reluctantly you sat down in the grass, a sour look on your face as you looked at him.

"Well? I'm waiting. What are we chatting about?" You snapped.

"We need to chat about the future. The future of the Galaxy, the future of your friends, and most importantly.... your future." He said, you just looked at him, giving him a death glare. You could feel anger pulsing through your veins. How could he just be here so casually? After everything he's done, after all that he did to you, he sat before you now with a smile on his face looking at you like you were an old friend.

"Whatever future you have in store for me... I don't want. How dare you think I could want anything you'd have to offer after everything you've already done!" You quipped.

"I do everything for the good of the Galaxy."

"Really is that so? Then how did killing my baby benefit the good of the galaxy!?" You screamed, tears streaming down your face.

"Shhhhhh...." He said, getting up and pressing a finger to your mouth. You froze. "You don't understand things as I do... at least not yet. Do you think I wanted to do what I did? Children are precious in my eyes. Children are our future. But we can not sully ourselves by bringing unfit children into the world. It pained me to do what I did. It pained me deeply."

"Liar!" You snapped.

"Grand things are at work, dear sister. Grand things. Things that have been planned long before you and I were ever born." You felt the scene shift as Dorin manipulated the dream, all around you things spun until you found yourself to be standing on what appeared to be the bridge of a large New Imperial Ship. Out the front glass you could see that the ship was assaulting a planet. The planet's surface in flames.

"Order is what's needed in our galaxy, and to attain that order, ones must learn their place. Some species are useless to the greater good of the galaxy, so they must be purged. Purged to make room for those of us who will grow and flourish one day. Then... there are some who's only saving grace is that they are useful to those of us who are greater... they will be spared to serve our purpose." Dorin said, again the scene shifted and you saw men, women, and children, of all different types of species. Twi'lek, Mirialan, Rodian, Iktochi, and more.... They were all in chains, being loaded up into ships, poked, prodded, and whipped.

"What are you doing to them!?" You asked, seeing the fear in the eyes of a Twi'lek child.

"These lesser creatures will be sent to a labor camp, where they will spend their days making, building, and manufacturing goods that we need."

"We?"

"Us... humanoids... we have always been the greater species. All others exist only to serve us."

"No! You're wrong! All lifeforms are worthy! They all have their strengths and weaknesses, they are all deserving of life!" You said. The scene shifted again, this time you were back in the meadow where you started.

"You cannot stop what has already begun."

"Let me go! Let me leave this place! Tell me where Kylo and the others are! Give them back to me, we'll leave you alone, we'll let you do what you want. Just... please!" You found yourself begging. You knew deep down what Dorin was doing, what he was planning was wrong, but how could you possibly stop it? You were so small and insignificant compared to the power that he had. You just wanted to be free of this, you wanted Kylo and the Knights back, safe with you. You would give anything to have them back.

"I can't do that."

"Why!?"

"Because they are all useful to me."

"They'll never kneel to you!"

"I don't need them to kneel.... I just need... them. You see... aside from us humanoids being the superior species, people like me... like Kylo... Like the Knights... like our other sister... they are the future, we are the apex of them all." He said, staring down at you, his eyes piercing your soul.

You began to understand as Dorin forced images of his future into your mind. He had a plan to breed a new population. A population of all powerful, all human Force users. It would be up to him who got to be with who, and who got to have children with who. He also showed you his plans for you. His plans to give you to someone else, someone better suited in his eyes

You blinked away tears. No. This could not be, there was no way this could happen.

"The Skywalker bloodline must end... it cannot be allowed to continue. It is weak, and full of failure and treachery. That is why I did what I did to you on Coruscant. To be honest dear sister... I'm only allowing Ren to remain alive out of compassion for you. If you come to me, if you join me, if you fulfill your duty towards the cause, perhaps.... in a few years I will reward you with time spent with Ren... with stipulations of course."

"Get out of my head!!!!!" You screamed. You wanted nothing to do with this. Nothing at all.

"It's a small sacrifice, dear sister, one that many women have had to endure through the eons. You will be rewarded, I assure you. Come to me, agree to my arrangement for you, and I will free Ren, and in five years time, after you've done your duty... produced appropriate offspring... then I'll let you go." He said.

"You're a monster!"

"You have until the end of the week to makeup your mind... until then.... I'll be paying you a little visit every night to see if you've made your decision." He said. The dream soon disapated, crumbling all around you.

You woke up, your chest heaving for air as you looked around your bedroom. Already daylight shown through your window. That dream that felt only like a brief few minutes had kept you in its grasp all night.

You sat up in bed and brought your knees to your chest and just began to sob.

Dorin was a monster.

He was pure evil.


	38. Convincing

You didn't even bother to brush your hair or do any makeup. You just threw on whatever clothes were easiest and ordered the transport to take you to the base.

You quickly found yourself banging on Leia's door at the base. She wasn't even dressed yet. She looked at you like you were crazy, but you honestly had no idea who else to turn to.

"I fell asleep last night, and I had a dream, but it wasn't a dream. It wasn't my mind that had control over it. Dorin was there. He was controlling it. He did it because he wanted to talk to me. He wants me to join him, and if I join him he said he'll release Kylo and the Knights." You quickly said.

"Slow down. I haven't had my morning coffee yet. Come inside." Leia said, clutching the opening of her robe closed and stepping aside to let you in. Once inside, Leia put her around your shoulders and guided you to a little table where her waiting morons coffee was sitting.

"Sit. Give me five minutes to drink this, and then start over. Have you even eaten?" She asked you.

"No."

"Here... eat." She said, handing you a piece of fruit. Holding the fruit in your hand, it dawned on you just how hungry you were. You bit into it just as she sat down and took her first sips of coffee. She took a few long sips, closed her eyes, signed and then looked at you.

"Ok... start over. Go slow, tell me as many details as you can." She said. So you did. You started from the very beginning, you told her everything, ever word that he said that you could remember. How you even tried to wake yourself up but couldn't. How it was him manipulating the dream.

You gave her everything you could possibly remember. When you were finished she took another long sip of her coffee and closed her eyes and sighed.

"If these Sith Lords don't stop fucking with my kid's minds...." She grumbled before slamming her now empty coffee mug down on the table.

"I've never experienced anything like that before. Even when I was stuck with Snoke." You said.

"Dorin is a typical arrogant, pompous, self absorbed, and self righteous Sith Lord who thinks he's the greatest thing to ever been born. They all think like that. It's how they're trained. It's their whole mindset. Knowing this... we can use it to our advantage." Leia said.

"How?"

"He's cocky. Him using The Force to gain access into your mind tells me that he thinks you're just some little damsel in distress that he can sway to his will. And I know damn well you aren't. You said he plans on 'visiting' you again until you make up your mind, right?"

"Right."

"So... you're going to sway it to _your_ advantage. Play off the knowledge that he's full of himself, get him talking about Shadow Watch and _his_ plans. He may unwittingly give you information we need to launch an attack."

"So... play dumb?"

"Exactly!"

"Well... good thing I'm a pro at that. Did it the entire time I had to live with Snoke." You chuckled.

"We all go through trials that teach us things that help us with greater things later on." She smiled.

You stayed with Leia for most of the morning and worked on a game plan on how to trick Dorin into giving you useful information. You were going to get him talking about Shadow Watch. You were going to get him to tell you why _he_ was so much better and what _his_ plans were. You were going to feign genuine interest, you were going to act like you were becoming convinced that his way was the right way.

You were going to do _anything_ it took to get any information out of him.

With your game plan solidly squared away, you felt powerful and confident. You left Leia's rooms and went to meet up with Ap'lek and Estrid. After telling Ap'lek and Estrid what went down, Ap'lek looked at you and said:

"Good... and when we find out where that fucker is, you're going to beat his ass." He said, handing you a blaster to practice shooting with.

***

**_Kylo's POV_ **

"Hey Ushar!?" Cardo's voice echoed out of his dark cell.

"What?"

"Remember that time we got kidnapped by those two hookers?" Cardo said.

"For Fuck's sake!" Trudgen said.

"Sounds like an awful time." Kuruk said.

"It was... they were ugly." Cardo said.

"One only had one leg." Ushar said.

"How the fuck did you..." Vicrul started.

"You ass hats are supposed to be meditating! We need to figure out how to get out of here!" Kylo shouted.

"I'm trying!!!!!" Ushar shouted.

"Same." Cardo said.

"I think I have ADHD." Vicrul said.

"Meditating is nice. It clears the mind." Trudgen said.

"Hey Trudgen... any chance Nilly and Estrid will break us out of this one again?" Kuruk said.

"Nah. We don't have Ap'lek. I'm pretty sure Estrid has a tracking device on his dick or something." Trudgen answered.

"Meditation!" Kylo yelled. Kylo was growing increasingly frustrated. Wherever they were. Whatever planet they were on. The Force radiated differently here. It was darker, colder, more sinister. Kylo was having a hard time tapping into the Force to seek guidance. At this point he was anxious to hear from anyone, even if it was Luke Skywalker.

The guys grumbled a bit before quieting down. Kylo shifted in his seat on the ground, closed his eyes, and tried to focus again. It was difficult to keep track of how many days had passed since their capture. They had only been fed once during their time here, which was to be expected. No doubt Dorin was only going to do the bare minimum to keep them all alive. 

Kylo had barely slept. If he did doze off his mind was haunted by memories of The Ball. Memories of what Dorin had done to Y/N and Jacen. Her screams echoed in his mind, and his mind wandered into new territory, thoughts of what Dorin would do to her if he got a hold of her. Thoughts of Y/N suffering unspeakable evils at the hands of her own brother. 

Now at this very moment, as Kylo tried to meditate, his mind wandered. All he thought about was _her._ Was she safe? Was she being cared for? Did Ap'lek and Hux know what to do? Was she as tormented by their separation as he was? 

Kylo let out a low growl and buried his face into his hands. It was incredibly frustrating to not be able to do anything at this very moment. All he wanted was to break out of here and get back to Y/N. Screw The Galaxy, screw The First Order, screw The Force. 

If He could just get out of here, he would get back to Y/N, get on the first ship he could find, and take her far, far away. Some place safe, some place where they could live and just be at peace... together. 

"Penny for your thoughts?" A voice echoed though the small hole in Kylo's cell.

_Fucking Dorin._

"What do you want?" Kylo lowly said. 

"Oh... nothing, just came down to say hello. I wanted to see how my favorite guests were doing." Dorin snarked.

"Fuck you."

"Now now... don't bite the hand that feeds you." 

"Why are you here?"

"I thought you'd like to know... I got to have a little chat with your little wifey last night. She's got quite the attitude on her." Dorin smirked. Kylo immediately began to panic. Did Dorin already have her? Was she here? Was she now being held captive?

"Don't panic... I don't have her... yet." Dorin said. Immediately Kylo leapt to his feet and went to the cell door to look out the small opening. Dorin had this way of talking that had an air of arrogance and sarcasm to it. It was infuriating. 

"Leave her alone!" Kylo said. 

"I don't think I will."

"Let her go. Your issue should be with me... not her. She's done nothing wrong." Kylo said, almost begging in his voice. 

"No... I don't think so. She's my sister. It's my duty as her older brother to ensure she's cared for."

"You're nothing to her!"

"We'll see about that."

"What is it you even want!?" Kylo said, raising his voice.

"Everything." Dorin sinisterly smirked. Rolling his eyes, Dorin walked away from Kylo's cell and walked up and down the hallway, looking into each of the Knights cells. The Knights said nothing to their captor as he passed them tauntingly. 

Dorin sure was full of himself. He was an arrogant prick filled to his eyebrows with self importance and a superiority complex. His shoes clicked on the stone floor as he leisurely walked up and down the hall, taunting them. 

"I'll be seeing her again tonight... anything you wish me to tell her?" Dorin smirked when he came back to Kylo's cell.

"Leave. Her. Alone." Kylo sternly said. Dorin just laughed and walked away... disappearing from where he came from.

**_End Kylo's POV._ **

***

You stared at yourself in the 'fresher mirror as you slowly brushed your teeth. You were about to do this. You were about to willingly go to sleep and be 100% ok with the fact that your demented brother could creep into your mind. Not only were you ok with it, you were looking forward to it.

You tried to keep busy all day so that time would go by fast. The sooner you got to go to sleep, the sooner you got to talk to Dorin, and that mean you were one step closer to possibly getting Kylo back. At least that was how you rationalized it all in your mind. 

This could all go sideways. It could all be a big ploy. A Trick. There was a real possibility that Dorin was in fact trying to use _you_. 

You shook your head at those thoughts.

No.

You were using Dorin. You were the smart one. You were going to win this. 

You spit your toothpaste into the sink and washed down your sleeping pill, determined to keep to the same routine that you had the night before. You washed your face, braided your hair, got into a comfy silk pajama set, and then climbed into bed.

You pulled Kylo's pillow over to you and inhaled what remained on his scent on the fabric.

You were doing this for him.

You were doing this for him.

You were doing this... for........

_You felt a breeze this time before you opened your eyes. Again you stared up into a bright blue sky as you laid in the middle of a Meadow. You popped up and turned to your right and saw that Dorin was in fact waiting for you._

_"Convince me." You said, cutting off whatever he was about to say to you first._

_"Hello... hi... how are you.... those are socially acceptable greetings." Dorin said._

_"I've only been talking again fairly recently, so forgive me if I forget social pleasantries." You flatly said._

_"What do you need me to convince you to do?"_

_"Convince me to join you. You killed my baby, tried to kill me, kidnapped my husband and friends, overthrew my government... you have a lot you've already done that doesn't exactly put you in my good graces. So I'm going to need convincing." You watched as Dorin rolled his eyes and laid down in the grass and looked up at the dream sky._

_"Fine... very well... as you wish." He said. You felt as the dream shifted and you were no longer sitting in grass. Instead you were standing in a black abyss. You could not tell what was up or what was down, and you could not tell exactly what you were standing on. It was like a black blank void. It was alarming at first, trying to get your bearings, but you were not frightened._

_"This.... is going to take a while." Dorin said as he snapped his fingers and a scene came into focus. Dorin began showing you... history. History of the first Force users to ever exist. He showed you how they found their abilities, how they made up their rules, how at one time things were chaotic._

_He was giving you a full galactic history lesson, going all the way back to the very beginning. Showing you everything in his own way. He wasn't transporting you back in time, no, he was powerful, but he wasn't_ that _powerful. He was showing you history.... according to him. His distorted view of history and the ways of The Force._

_True... you only knew one side of things yourself, having been taught by Snoke and listening into his lessons with Kylo, but you knew what Dorin was showing you was even more flawed. You watched things unfold with a look of genuine concern on your face. You knew what he was doing, he was trying to distort things to make you view things his way. You just needed to make him believe that you were somewhat buying it._

_He brought you up to speed over the divisions between Jedi and Sith. Things that you knew already, but also things that Dorin believed he knew. You already knew that the Jedi had become corrupt, but you also knew that The Sith also had become corrupt._

_"I know my history Dorin. How is this supposed to convince me to join you?" You said, crossing your arms over your chest._

_"Because I wanted you to see how unbalanced everything was... how unbalanced everything still is. The Galaxy has endured a Millennia of conflicts. Conflicts that have started because there was nothing and no one to put people in their rightful place. There is too much choice and freedom, it overwhelms the mind. Yet with my vision, with my plans, people will know exactly where they belong. There are ones who are great and ones who are lesser. Peace and balance will be achieved."_

_"You are just one person. How can you expect to command the lives of billions of lifeforms across the galaxy?" You ask._

_"That is why we have started a great purge. To rid the galaxy of life forms who's existence is useless. Those who do not bend to my rule, they will break. Fighting back is pointless." He said as the scene began to shift._

_You found yourself standing on a desolate, dark planet, facing a large stone building. There was barely any light, no strong sun to show you fully what you were looking at. Yet there was lightning, lightning all around that lit up the sky. When you looked up you saw a fleet of star destroyers unlike any you had ever seen before. There had to be hundreds of them, a far greater number than what you knew The First Order originally had._

_"Impressive, right?" He said with an air of cockiness in his voice. "The fleet has been in the works for decades, the weaponry is the most advanced of its kind, there exists nothing like it in the rest of the Galaxy. There are enough ships here to put two in orbit of every planet in the galaxy. Do you want to know what else these ships can do?" Dorin said with a sinister smile on his face._

_"What?" You gulped, although you already knew the answer._

_"They each have the same orbital lasers your Valiance has. Which means that any planet that doesn't comply will quickly go the same way as Alderaan." He said, you immediately felt your stomach turn in knots. You knew Dorin had fire power, you knew he had access to weapons and a large fleet. But this? He currently had the power to destroy every single planet in the Galaxy, and all he had to do was say the word._

_"Is it peace and balance if you've burned everything to the ground? That would make you what? Emperor of the Ashes?" You question him._

_"If that's what it takes... then so be it." He said with a chuckle. You looked at him and squinted your eyes. You're going to call his bluff. Now was the time to see if you could maneuver him to giving you information._

_"This.... this whole dream thing .... it really is impressive, but how do I know it's real? You could just be making this up and showing it to me." Saying that seemed to annoy him. His eye twitched a little bit and he bit the inside of his cheek while clenching his fists. So.... he didn't like to be questioned or doubted... good to know._

_"Oh I can assure you it's real little sister. In fact, you'll know for a certainty it's real the moment you open your eyes when you wake up in the morning." He said in a low tone, stepping closer to you. You held your ground . There was no way he could actually harm you physically in this state. if it were possible, he most likely would have done it already by now._

_"Good... because this was the least convincing thing I've ever seen." You said. You saw anger flare in his eyes before the dream began to break down._

Your eyes opened and much like the day before you saw that it was already morning. The dream had taken up your entire night. You kicked the blankets off of yourself and something deep inside of you told you to go out into the garden. Dorin said that you would know he was serious about the fleet when you first woke up. You wanted to see if it was true.

Out in the garden you heard nothing but stillness. You heard a subtle boom in the distance, and you looked up into the sky. Sure enough, there it was. 

One of Dorin's super ships. You watched as it appeared in orbit, its darkness overwhelming and terrifying. It stayed far away from all the other ships in orbit guarding Naboo. It had come without warning, which meant it really did have the technology and advancements Dorin had bragged about. 

Just as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared. 

It had come simply to taunt you.

***

"He said that the fleet was large enough to put _two_ ships in the orbit of every planet in the galaxy." You said as you faced Leia, Hux, Danka, Rey, Finn, Poe, Ap'lek and Estrid. 

"What else did he show you?" Leia asked.

"He showed me the whole fleet. It's stationed on some planet somewhere. A dark planet with barely any sunlight and only lightning that lights up the sky. I didn't ask and he didn't say where it was." You say.

"Of course he wouldn't outright tell you." Hux said.

"If they have a fleet that big and weapons like that... then there's no way we can win this." Finn said.

"NEVER give up hope! There is always a way." Leia said.

"We just need more information." Rey said.

"How would you find enough personnel to even man that many ships and go unnoticed for decades? Surely we would have noticed." Hux said.

"Maybe they aren't manned. He said they are the most technologically advanced. Perhaps they're automated somehow?" Danka added.

"Droids maybe." Poe said.

"It's all a strong possibility. We just need to know more." Leia said looking at you.

***

_"I saw your little ship this morning." You said the moment you knew you were present in your little dream chat with Dorin._

_"I told you I would prove it to you."_

_"And that you did. But I still need more convincing." You said._

_"I would have thought seeing something like that would have convinced you?"_

_"You forget I was raised in The First Order, seeing big ships and guns loses it's dazzle after a while." You smirked._

_"How else can I try and convince you, hm?"_

_"Why me? I am not Force sensitive and you've made it clear that only ones who are Force Sensitive are the superior ones. So why me? Why have you not gone to Rey?" You question. You watched Dorin's face for a moment as he clearly tried to formulate his words. A series of emotions flashed behind his eyes before he spoke, none of which you could easily identify._

_"Because you're my sister."_

_"Rey is your sister too."_

_"Because I knew you first."_

_"Did you?"_

_"We share the same father_ and _mother." He said, clasping his hands behind his back._

_"What happened?"_

_"Our father was weak. All of... this... could have been his. It was his birth right, yet he threw it away." Dorin spat._

_"I don't remember him being weak. I remember him taking good care of me."_

_"He turned his back on his destiny. He was a coward!" He spat. You just stood there and waited for him to continue._

_"Our father... was the sole surviving son of Emperor Palpatine. He was the heir to the Empire. It all could have been his, yet he walked away. The power.... it was all there... right at his fingertips... yet he just shoved it away. People were loyal to him, they would have served him, they would have gone to war for him. Yet he just went into hiding, taking me... and eventually you with him. He hid who he truly was from me. He surpassed his abilities and my own. I was fortunate with the Monks found us, they took me from him. They rescued me from his stifling grasp and helped me to reach my full potential." Dorin began._

_You just stood there and blinked as you allowed Dorin to explain things to you. In Dorin's eyes he was led to believe that your father had hidden something away from him. You realized that this anger, this belief that your father had betrayed his birth right no doubt came from the brainwashing of these Monks. The Monks, the Sith Cultists who stole Dorin away first. Who raised him, who weaponized him._

_"I loved our mother. She was a good woman. She did her duty, baring our father children. She was the daughter of an Imperial General. I did mourn when the Monks told me she died in the attack. But they rescued me, the taught me everything I know now, they educated me and it is because of them that I am the most powerful Force User in the Galaxy today!" As he said this you felt the whole space you reside in tremble. A symbol of the power that Dorin actually had._

_"But why me?" You asked again._

_"As my full blooded sister... you are entitled to some... privileges. Regardless of if you're Force Sensitive or not. Any children you bare with whom I deem worthy will most certainly be powerful Force Users, like myself. I myself will never sire offspring, but you dear sister... you can further the line. Ensure a succession." You felt your stomach coil up at those words. The thought of it sickened you, yet you kept a straight face, showing no emotion._

_You felt as the scene of the dream shifted. You were no longer in a meadow. Instead you were standing in what looked like a sitting room of a large, dark, and very Imperial style building. You looked around and across from where you and Dorin stood... you saw yourself. Only... it wasn't fully you. No. It was a different version of yourself._

_You were dressed in clothes that reminded you of your time as Snoke's shadow. Your face was gaunt and void of any makeup, and your hair was long again. It was like you had been transported back to look at yourself from a year ago. Your other self sat amongst children... children you quickly realized Dorin implied to be yours._

_You didn't know if you could actually vomit in your dream state, if you could you would have. Dorin was showing you these children but you most certainly felt nothing towards them. They were foreign to you. They didn't even look like you. They didn't look like Kylo._

_"Is this not what you want? Do you not want children of your own?" He asked you. No..._ this _.... Dorin's version.... it was most certainly NOT what you wanted. This did not look like the paradise Dorin had hoped you would find it to be. It was sick and demented. You knew what this was heavily implying, what it really meant. It meant you having to give yourself to someone else other than Kylo. And the thought made you sick._

_"Where would my home be, where would I raise these children?" You find yourself asking._

_"Where my home is." He replied._

_"And where is that?" You said, feeling tears sting your eyes. You kept your face void of your true emotions. Instead you hoped that what you were displaying was some sort of affection. You wanted Dorin to think what he was showing you was moving you._

_It was working._

_"Exegol... in the unknown regions." he softly said._

_"Exegol..." You softly said._

_"You have two more days to decide what you want to do." Dorin said, his tone dark and unfeeling._

_"How... how is he... how are they?" You turn to Dorin and ask. You feel the scene shift again and you were deep underground. Standing in a hallway that looked to house jail cells. You looked at Dorin who motioned for you to walk, so you did._

_One by one you looked into every jail cell and saw each of the nights. First Vicrul, then Cardo, Ushar, Trudgen, and lastly Kuruk. At the very last jail cell you stopped. You took a deep breath and peered inside._

_Kylo._

_He was laying on his side on the damp, cold floor of the cell. His arms were wrapped around himself as he aggressively shivered in however truly cold it was wherever they were. You could almost hear his teeth clattering in his head. You wished you could rip open the cell door and go to him. You wanted to wrap your arms around him and bring him comfort._

_But this was all a dream._ _A visualization from the last time Dorin himself saw Kylo and the Knights._

_All of the Knights were like that. They were weak, on the floor, and freezing._

_"What have you done to them!?" You asked Dorin._

_"Nothing other than what nature does itself. They won't last much longer, no human, Force Sensitive or not, can live longer than a few days without food or water."_

_"You're not feeding them or giving them water!?" You just about screamed._

_"Ehh... I did... once."_

_"You monster!!!"_

_"Calm down... The moment you agree to come be with me... I'll see to it that they receive a steak dinner... how about that. Their survival is all dependent on you, my dear. Join me and they live." He said to you, just as you felt the dream start to disintegrate._

***

You stared at yourself long and hard in the mirror. Dorin's words echoed in your mind. If you went and joined him, it meant Kylo and The Knight's safety.

Their survival was somehow dependent on you. 

Deep down you knew that there was a huge possibility that Dorin was lying to you. That this was all some sort of sinister ploy. Yet... you couldn't help but want to hope he was being truthful.

What if you did go?

What if you allowed it all to happen?

What if you just sacrificed a little bit of your life to Dorin's cause in order to ensure Kylo's safety?

You could do it.

You were strong.

You already had been through so much.

Even if it was all a lie. Even if Dorin was tricking you, wanting you to walk into your own death trap. It might still be worth it.

Worth it because life without the possibility of being with Kylo was not worth living at all.


	39. Mind Made Up

**A/N**

**Please enjoy. Lots of details in this chapter, and even a few soft moments. We are building up to something great!!! Please enjoy.**

***

Your knuckles were bruised as were your knees, but you didn't care. You kept going. Again and again you punched the punching bag that Ap'lek held out in front of you, taking out all your anger and frustration on the inanimate object.

No wonder Kylo felt relief after destroying random things. It was, in an odd way, refreshing. 

"Alright... alright... alright. You need to chill, Love." Ap'lek cautioned, seeing now that the skin on your knuckles was starting to split. You looked down at the little droplets of blood starting to form on your skin, and you shook your hands to relief some of the discomfort. 

"What's with the anger today?" Ap'lek asked. 

"Nothing." You said. You had yet to tell Ap'lek about the previous night's dream with Dorin. You didn't want Ap'lek to get all upset and it stress you out even more. 

"I think that's enough for today. Go wash up. General Ginger is over there, looks like he's looking for you." Ap'lek said, nodding his head towards the direction of Hux who was just now entering the training area. You sighed and grabbed a nearby towel and wiped off your hands before walking towards Hux to meet him in the middle. 

"Perfect timing." Hux said as you approached him. 

"News?" You asked.

"Nothing about the whereabouts of The Supreme Leader and The Knights unfortunately. But we do have intel on that ship that appeared in orbit yesterday."

"What intel?"

"Well... not really intel... just mainly hypothesis'. Guesses as to where a fleet with ships that large and that powerful could possibly be hiding."

 _Exegol._ You already knew, you just needed to be able to stomach the words to tell Hux and the others. It was why you were so angry this morning. You had a location. It was handed to you willingly. You were torn. Do you hand yourself over, or do you fire up what forces you had and go after them with all you had? You didn't know what to do.

"We _think_ a fleet that large could have been hidden away way out in the farthest part of The Unknown regions. We are still working out _how_ exactly that many ships were able to be constructed without out knowledge." Hux said as he began to walk with you back towards the base. 

"Does the planet named Exegol mean anything to you?" You asked.

"I've never heard of it before. Why do you ask?" Hux responded.

"Last night, Dorin came to me in another dream... he gave me a planet name. He said it was his home world."

"I could search the databases, but I already have a sneaking suspicion it won't be there."

"You're right. It probably went the way of Kamino." You said.

"Kamino?"

"The planet where the Clone Armies were produced. To keep the army a secret, knowledge of the planet was wiped from galactic databases." You reply.

"Yes... yes... I'm beginning to remember my Clone War history." Hux said. 

"We'll need to figure out where this planet is. I have a strong suspicion that _that_ is where the entire fleet, as well as Kylo and The Knights are being kept."

"Does anyone else know about this? What else did Dorin say to you?"

"He said I have two more days before Kylo and The knights will either die or be killed." You said, your voice breaking and tears stinging your eyes.

"Two days? Why two days?"

"Because I need to make up my mind as to if I'll join him or not. It's all depending on me." You choked out. A wave of sympathy washed over Hux's face as he realized the weight of the burden you now bore. He went to reach out to you, to hug you perhaps, but you stepped away. Leaving him there in the entry way to the interior of the base.

***

You had returned to the villa, showered, and dressed yourself in a loose fitting dress. You sat on the wooden bench right outside, letting the sun warm your skin and dry your hair. 

You desperately needed to figure out what to do. 

You were smart. You knew for a fact that Dorin didn't think you to be as smart as you actually were. Perhaps there was a way you could take him down from the inside? Get the job done yourself and possibly spare the lives of thousands, if not millions of people. 

Sitting there on that bench you began to concoct a plan for yourself. It was risky. Everything was full of risk, but in your mind it made perfect sense. You just needed to run it by someone else first to see is it made as much sense to them as it did to you. 

You quickly got up from your seat and made your way out of the Villa, determined to take the a transport wherever you needed to go. You already knew there was no way you could talk to Estrid about this first, she would just tell Ap'lek and Ap'lek would say no and lock you up for your own safety. Telling Leia or Rey was also a gamble, and Hux and Danka wouldn't be a good idea either. 

Nilly. Nilly was who you could go to about this. 

You took the transport to the nearby cottage where the Knights had all been previously staying together. Out front of the cottage you saw Nilly's personal speeder, and no sign of Estrid or Ap'lek. Good. You didn't know how much time you had with Nilly alone, this had to be quick.

You banged on the front door and sure enough Nilly quickly answered.

"What's wrong!? Is there news?" She asked, stepping aside to let you in. She was dressed in maroon colored leggings with a matching crop top. She looked like she must have been working out judging by how she tied her braids back and the Sheen of sweat on her brow.

"No. No news, but I have a plan and I need someone to tell me I'm not crazy." 

"Shoot." She said, motioning for you to sit down in the small living room. The cottage that all the knights had been staying in was rather nice. It was cozy and calm and had enough bedrooms for them all. In a way it felt eerie to be there. Extra pairs of boots still sat by the door where the boys had left them, a half played board game was on the kitchen table, as well as half finished beer bottles. The sight of it made your heart hurt a bit.

"Dorin says... he swears... if I go to him and join him and do what he asks, he'll let Kylo and the guys go free; or at least keep them alive. My idea is... that I do it."

"Are you fucking crazy?" She said.

"No! Hear me out! I go... I fake being on his side, and I some how figure out how to take him down from the inside. I get close enough to him, and I earn his trust, and I kill him myself."

"There has to be a catch... why does he want you to join him?" Nilly asked as she nervously fiddled with her fingers in her lap.

"It's all part of his whole 'genetic purity' thing that he believes in. He wants me to leave Kylo and he plans for me to end up with someone else and have that other person's kids so _he_ can have heirs." You say. The fact that you were saying it out loud was making your skin crawl. The thought of it was nauseating to you, but maybe... just maybe you could endure it if it meant getting the upper hand.

"Oh hell no. _You_ would go through with that?"

"Maybe I don't actually have to. That's where things get complicated for me, I don't know what Dorin's timeline for things is. If I show up is he going to hand me off to some asshole the moment I get there, or will I have some time to adjust?"

"Well.... you sure as hell can't go alone."

"I don't know if I have any other choice. I doubt he'll let me bring anyone from our side with me."

"Maybe not... but what if you had a handmaid you just _couldn't_ live without?" Nilly smirked. You saw what she was hinting at, and frankly, the idea was genius. 

***

_The Meadow inside your dream was exactly as it had been all the other previous nights, except this time you could see little blue butterflies floating through the grass and into the sky. You turned around and right on cue, Dorin was there._

_"Tick tock, I already sense that one of the Knight's is fading. I doubt the rest will last much longer." Dorin said._

_"Which knight?"_

_"Ahh... that's for me to know and you to find out." He sneered._

_"Suppose I... agree... and join you? What would be in it for me? Are you just going to lock me up and force me to breed like a rabbit the moment I step foot on Exegol? Or are you going to be kind and let me learn things the way you see it?" You ask._

_"I might be so inclined to be kind."_

_"Alright... and what if I wanted to bring someone with me?" You asked. You were trying to keep up a facade of innocence and ignorance, shielding the cunning thoughts and plans that you had deep down within yourself. You kept your eyes on Dorin's face as he kept his eyes on yours. You could see his mind working behind his eyes. Was he doubting you? Did he know what you were up to?_

_You knew he couldn't harm you in this state, he would have done that already. But you needed to test things further. In your mind, behind that wall that you kept, that same wall that you used to hide your most private thoughts from Snoke, you began to internally scream at Dorin. You called him every abusive name you could think of, you out right said in your mind that you were going to kill him. He didn't even flinch._

_Good. He couldn't hear you behind that wall. Which meant your plans were safe._

_"Well you're not going to be bringing a troop of stormtroopers with you if that's what you're asking." He finally responded._

_"No... nothing like that. I have... a handmaid or two. To help me with my hair and other daily things." You said, lacing your words with girlishness to make it seem believeable. To make it seem like you were actually the type of naive woman who required help with your hair and makeup on a regular basis._

_You watched as Dorin rolled his eyes and laughed at you._

_"Handmaids? That's what you would bring with you? Maids to help you get dressed everyday? You're even more simple than I thought!" He laughed. You nervously chuckled as he continued to laugh at you._

_"Fine. I'll allow it."_

_"Thank you." You respond._

_"So.... you're actually considering joining me? You really need to make up your mind. Like I said... The Knights aren't doing too well."_

_"No... I've made up my mind." You sternly said, which elicited a sinister smile out of Dorin._

***

**_Kylo's POV_ **

Water. That was all Kylo could think about. Before his mind was solely on Y/N... but now... now it screamed for water. He at first attempted to drink from the bucket that collected the water that dripped down from the ceiling in his cell, but as soon as it hit his lips he could taste the toxic metals in it and he spit it right out. 

Poisoned.

The water that dripped steadily every second, taunting him. It was poison. It would result in an agonizing death if he drank from it. 

Kylo groaned as he turned on his side and crawled to the cell door.

"Who's not dead yet!?" Kylo yelled out. It took up most of his energy to raise his voice like that. The sound coming from his throat burning due to the dehydration. Every time he checked on the knights, it took them longer and longer to eventually respond. 

He counted each of their groans and replies. 

"Here!" 

Ushar. 

"Oy!" 

Trudgen.

"Barely."

Kuruk 

"Hello!"

Vicrul.

Kylo waited. He counted to ten, and still Cardo didn't respond. 

"Cardo!?" Kylo yelled.

"Cardo... bro!!!" Ushar began to panic.

"Dude wake up!" Kuruk shouted. 

A slow, agonizing moment passed and then...

"Sorry..." They heard a faint, raspy voice say. Collectively they all sighed with relief. Kylo rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He didn't know if the next time he called out to them if one of them wasn't going to respond for real... and it terrified him.

Snoke tried to keep him from the Knights once he became Snoke's apprentice, yet it didn't stop the brotherly bond that had formed naturally over the years. In a round about way, Kylo loved the idiots as if they were his actual brothers. 

Out in the hallway, they heard the sound of footsteps. Again Kylo tried to roll on his side, he even tried to sit up. But his body gave way, too weak to move anymore. He began to hear a cell door open and the sound of hushed voices. Eventually the voices began to move up and down the cells, opening the doors one by one. 

Kylo sensed no panic from the others, in fact he sensed the opposite. Relief. 

Kylo watched as shadows appeared in front of his door, the cell opened and dark figures entered. He didn't have the strength to fight them off. They placed hands on him and he felt the sting of an injection... and then... relief.

The dark figures left the cell, locking him inside once more. As the minutes ticked by, Kylo began to feel better. A new found strength washing over him slowly. 

Again he heard the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall. This time Kylo had enough strength in him to roll over and sit up.

"Ahh... I see the medication is starting to kick in. It's a shame I had to waste that precious resource on you lot. But I have to be a a man of my word." Dorin said. 

"What did you do to us?" Kylo asked.

"I gave you part of a healing serum, it should have you all stable enough to start eating and drinking again soon, since that's what I promised your little _wife_." Dorin said, lacing the last word with contempt and disgust. 

"What.... what do you mean?" Kylo asked.

"I promised I would keep you lot alive if she agreed to join me and the cause. Lucky for you... she came to her senses. I expect her to be here tomorrow morning." Dorin said, it was then that Kylo sensed that Dorin wasn't alone, someone was with him. Kylo began to sit up on his knees and crawl towards the cell door once more. Using the wall for leverage, he pulled himself to his feet to look out the cell door window. 

"Ahh... there you are. You look... rough." Doin sneered at Kylo. Kylo could see that Dorin was not alone, he had another man with him. The other man was just as tall as Dorin was and had silvery white hair. He had a grotesque scar that appeared to eat up the entirety of the left side of his face, and in place of a left eye, instead was a red robotic one. 

The other man smirked at Kylo, but kept his hands clutched behind his back. There was something ominous about this other man, something that left Kylo was a feeling of dread deep in his stomach. 

"This... is my good friend Kyrell Dooku... family name ring a bell?" Dorin snickered. Of course it rang a bell. Kylo knew exactly which family Kyrell hailed from, although the actually details of any connections were unknown to him.

"Well... I wanted you to know... since I'm such a nice person and all... that Kyrell fully intends to take _good care_ of Y/N. Wont you Kyrell?" Dorin said, turning to his companion. 

"We'll see if she holds up. I have been known to _snap_ things now and again. Makes a bloody mess all over the sheets." Kyrell sneered. Anger washed over Kylo, anger that he hadn't felt in a long, long time. It crashed over him like a rushing wave. Kylo lunged his hand through the small opening in the door and managed to grip Dorin by the collar of his shirt.

Kylo yanked Dorin towards the door, sending Dorin's forehead cracking against the stone surface. Kyrell acted all at once, Force pushing Kylo off of Dorin, sending Kylo flying towards the far wall of his cell. 

It was then that Kylo saw the rough metallic robotic hands that Kyrell had been hiding.

"Don't you fucking touch her!" Kylo said. Both men laughed at Kylo on the other side of the door.

"Don't worry... I promise I won't beat her up too badly." Kyrell snickered. 

"I'll be sure to send down the used sheets after everything is said and done. Wouldn't want you to be cold down here, now would I?" Dorin chuckled as both men began walking away. 

Kylo got up and rushed to the door just in time to see both men disappear in to the darkness. He had said she was coming. That she was going to arrive by morning. Did that mean they captured her? Did they destroy Naboo and their forces? Is that how they got to her? No... this couldn't be. There was no way she was coming willingly. Dorin _had_ to be lying. 

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

***

"Well... You two aren't going alone." Estrid said. You and Nilly continued to work on your plan together and eventually worked up the courage to approach Estrid and Ap'lek about it. You still knew that there was no way you could tell Hux or Leia about it.

"What do you mean?" You responded. 

"You said Dorin gave you permission to bring handmaidens with you... multiple. So you're bringing two. Me and Nilly." Estrid said.

"Wait... wait... wait... don't I get a say in this?" Ap'lek interjected.

"No." Estrid responded. 

"No, Estrid... it would be too dangerous." You say.

"Which is why you need more help. Nilly and I are probably the only ones experienced enough with this type of work. We can make a difference and keep you safe at the same time."

"She's right. I don't like it... only because I'm being selfish, but you have a better change with Estrid with you as well." Ap'lek said.

"Ap'lek can stay behind and monitor the situation. He and I have hidden tracking devices on each other, so once we reach the destination he'll be able to track us." Estrid said. 

"Now... how do we break this news to Leia and the others?" You ask.

"We do it quick like a bandaid. The plan is solid. We have all the logistics set and anything else can be figured out once you get there." Ap'lek said. The whole conversation went surprisingly better than you imagined. Now all you had to do was inform Leia and the others. Nervously you all made your way back to base after sending a message to Leia, Hux, and the others to meet you in the council meeting room. 

Everyone's eyes were on you as you entered the room and took your place at the head of the table. You nervously cleared your throat, before beginning and getting everyone up to speed on what had been going on. 

"After collecting as much information as I could I've made up my mind as to how to proceed. In a matter of hours a New Imperial Ship will arrive and I will be going to join Dorin on the planet known as Exegol." You said. As soon as the words left your mouth the room broke out in an uproar of protests, with Hux's voice being the loudest.

"NO! Absolutely not! You can't be serious!" Hux shouted. 

"I'm going." You sternly said.

"I don't care! This isn't happening." Hux protested. 

"All the details have been squared away. We have a plan fully drawn up. She won't be going alone." Ap'lek says.

"Yes. Myself and Nilly will be going with her as her fake handmaids." Estrid added. 

"This is a risk that I am willing to take. We have a plan, and I am asking you all to trust me!" You say. Everyone around you started to calm down and whisper amongst themselves. 

"I trust you." Leia said, which seemed to calm everyone down. 

"I do too. If anyone can pull this off... it's you." Rey said. 

"When do you leave?" Leia asked. 

"Six hours." You said after looking at the clock. For a while everyone muttered amongst themselves, unsure of how to exactly proceed.

"We will establish some sort of secure line of communication to Ap'lek. Once the time is right we will send a signal to you all that the time has come to act. We don't know how long this all will take, it could take days or it could take weeks. I just need to get there and find out. In my absence... I am leaving General Armitage Hux in charge as Regent General... and I am elevating Officer Danka to the position of General." You said, turning towards Hux and Danka, both of which looked utterly shocked. 

"We have been working hard for a break in this whole situation... and this is the best chance we have." Ap'lek says. Everyone seemed to nod. With that taken care of, you dismissed everyone, the only people choosing to remain were Leia, Rey, Hux, and Danka.

"I... I just can't allow this." Hux softly said to you.

"I'm not asking your permission." You softly said looking up at him.

"It's just..." He began to say.

"I know." You said, interrupting him and reaching out to hug him. "I wish you were my real brother instead." You say.

"You've always been my little sister." He softly responded. You broke away from Hux and turned to Danka.

"Keep him in line for me while I'm gone." You said to her.

"Oh... You can count on me." She said. You could tell she was nearing tears, her eyes were glossy and her nose was red. You then reached out and hugged her as well. You then turned to where Leia was standing with Rey. Rey was next to hurl herself into your arms. 

Now it was your turn to get emotional.

The two of you hadn't had that much time together. After years of separation, you only had a matter of days together. You had to keep telling yourself that this wasn't the end for you, you were going to get through this and then you could have all the time in the world you needed. 

You felt Leia's hand on your shoulder and you then turned to her as she pulled you in for a hug.

"May the Force be with you." She whispered to you. 

"Thank you." You replied.

***

**_Ap'lek's POV_ **

Ap'lek sat on the edge of their bed as he tentatively watched Estrid pack all her belongings. This... surprisingly... was a first for him. The tables have turned. 

It usually was Estrid watching Ap'lek pack his things as he readied himself for some dangerous mission or another. In all the years they have been together, it never was Estrid packing her things like this.

"Do you have the micro explosives?" Ap'lek asked.

"Yes."

"How about the ring grenades?"

"I'm already wearing them."

"The poison locket?"

"Packed all four of them."

"Did you pack.... enough underwear?" Ap'lek found himself asking. He gulped nervously as she turned to look at him. Estrid stopped what she was doing and walked over to him. She pushed her fingers though his salt and peppered hair and gazed down into his blue eyes.

"I have everything I need. I learned it all from the best." She softly said, which elected a small smirk from him. He brought his hands up to her hips and pulled her close, into a hug. Pressing his face into her stomach. 

"But _you're_ everything I need." He said. Hearing such sappy words come out of Ap'lek's mouth was enough to make Estrid's throat tighten as she choked back tears. How long had they been together? She was starting to lose track. They had been married for fifteen, but they had been together on and off over the years since she was a teenager. Right now as Ap'lek hugged her Estrid did the math in her head. 

She was nineteen when she found herself in a precarious situation in some seedy cantina in the outer rim. She thought for sure she was going to be dragged off by the brute of an alien that attacked her, but no. She broke away and staggered out into the street, tears streaming down her face, and bumped right into Ap'lek... and the rest of the original Knights of Ren... the original Master Ren included. Back then he has asked her if she was ok, completely unaware at the time of the actual man beneath the helmet. 

With one swipe of his Axe, Ap'lek killed her assailant, and then personally walked her back to her hotel and stood guard all night. The following morning she was surprised when he removed his helmet and asked her out to dinner. She was hesitant at first, but accepted. It was the best decision she had ever made. 

_Twenty Six Years,_ they have been in each other's lives. 

"You know. I've spent more of my life _with you_ than without you." Estrid softly said.

"Has it really been that long?" He replied.

"It has. We're old farts now." She chuckled. Ap'lek gripped her tighter and then pulled her down onto the bed with him. He glanced over his shoulder at the clock on the wall. 

"Well this old man's still got a few tricks up his sleeve." He said before bringing his lips to hers and snaking his hand up her dress. Estrid sighed into the kiss and pulled him closer to her.

They had a few hours to kill.

**_End Ap'lek's POV_ **

***

The sky was darkening with an approaching thunderstorm. You could feel the change on the air, the coolness of the breeze as it whipped at the skirt of your dress and your cloak. You glanced over your shoulder to Nilly and Estrid who stood dutifully side by side behind you. 

They wore matching dresses you were able to get from Queen Magda and her endless wardrobe for her Handmaids. You selected simple black dresses with cloaks and hoods and veils that concealed Estrid and Nilly's faces. 

You turned back to face the landing pad as you heard the sound of approaching engines. Your eyes went skyward as a dark, sleek ship appeared out of the clouds. It landed with a hiss and it's entrance ramp quickly lowered. 

Far away, watching through binoculars, Hux, Danka, Leia, Rey, Ap'lek and the rest all waited and watched. 

New Imperial Storm Troopers marched off the ship and quickly surrounded you, Nilly, and Estrid. You felt your pulse quicken with nervousness as none other than Pryde descended the vessel with a smug look on his face. 

"Well well well... Look who decided to _wake up_." Pryde chuckled. "Come on now, we don't have all day." He said, snapping his fingers at the stormtroopers who quickly picked up your luggage. You gulped and turned to Nilly and Estrid, both of them nodded their heads. Silently encouraging you.

You turned and slowly climbed up into the ship.

***

**A/N**

**I know this chapter was very detail oriented and we even had some soft moments. I hope you guys didn't mind!!!!**

**xoxo,**

**Nia 💋**


	40. Welcome Home?

The fight to Exegol was long. There was one point where you could feel the ship jerking and jumping around in space. You desperately wished you could tell what was going on outside, but you, Nilly, and Estrid had been placed in a windowless room along with all your luggage.

Eventually things evened out and you felt the distinct jolts of what it felt like when a ship entered a planet's atmosphere. The three of you barely spoke since getting on the ship, you didn't want to have anything be overheard by this crew, and you wanted to maintain the facade that Nilly and Estrid were your maids.

You could hear the landing gears of the ship lowering and eventually you felt the soft thud of the ship landing. Outside the sealed metal doors of the room you were kept in, you could hear the sounds of boots marching and muffled voices. You were so sure that you were going to be made to wait for a long while that when the door abruptly slid open, you jumped in your seat.

"We've arrived. You may depart now." An emotionless faced officer said to you before abruptly leaving. You had no idea where to go or what to do or who was going to get your luggage or anything else. You just looked at Nilly and Estrid and they both shrugged.

"How welcoming of them." Estrid uttered under her breath. You all got up and began to make your way out of the ship.

A blast of cool, damp air hit your face as you descended the ramp of the ship. You had to squint your eyes to help them adjust to the dark planet's surface. All around lightning lit up the sky, and clouds and fog loomed low on the planet's surface. There was no greenery, no sounds of birds or animals, just darkness.

As your eyes adjusted you saw that there were troops of stormtroopers marching all around on the planet's surface. Dark hooded figures watched you from atop large rock masses, and in the distance, you could see a large square like building.

You turned around a few times trying to see if anyone was there to point you in the direction in which you were to go. No one seemed to pay you any attention. They walked around you like you were nothing. A nobody.

"I'm guessing we go to the big ugly building?" Nilly whispered to you.

"I guess." You respond. You turned once more to face the large structure and in the distance, out of the foggy haze, a figure appeared. You waited as this person got closer to see if they were someone who was actually going to point you where you needed to go.

As the man got closer you began to make out more of his features. It sent a sharp call down your spine as you observed him. Hair white and slicked back, a scowl on his face which was half scarred up, and most poignantly... a red bionic eye where his left should have been.

"Ahh... Princess Palpatine. Welcome to Exegol." The man said.

"Thanks... I guess." You nervously reply.

"Your brother apologized for not coming to collect you himself, but by the time we reach the palace, he will be ready. Follow me." He said, turning on his heels and making you follow him a few paces behind.

You began to have this unsettling feeling deep within your stomach. Everything that surrounded you reminded you of Snoke.... _everything._ The way that people looked at you, and even just now how this man spoke to you. It reminded you of him; and you hated it.

You all walked in silence towards the large "palace". Nothing felt homely, or even suitable for human habitation. Everything was old, archaic, dark, drab, and falling apart. More cloaked and hooded figures passed you and stared at you. The openings of their hoods moved with you as you moved, but you could not see their faces. You could hear them whispering, their voices cracking and hoarse. It filled you with unease.

A large portion of the ground in which you stood on jolted and began to lower. Down... down you went into the abyss below, further into darkness and dread. You kept your eyes wide as you tried to take in your surroundings.

You had grown accustomed to a certain type of dark and unfeeling infrastructure within The First Order. Things in The Order were clean, sterile, streamlined, yet still... human... still at least welcoming. Everything around you now felt like it somehow was the complete opposite. Like you had entered an ancient dark age when it came to your surroundings.

Once the platform in which you stood on was fully lowered, you were surprised to see things looked a little different within the lower regions. More... castle like. The stone walls were outrageously high and from the ceilings hung iron chandeliers with flames to light the way. You were also surprised to see torches hanging on the walls.

The man who had greeted you turned once to you and nodded his head towards a direction in which you should go. Upon turning you saw him.... Dorin.

He was approaching you with his arms extended and a sick smile on his face. You could feel a cold sweat on your skin and you could hear your heartbeat in your ears. You wanted to turn to Nilly and Estrid, but you knew you needed to be brave. _Now_ was the moment that was the most critical.

"My dear sister!!! Welcome home!" Dorin said, walking right up to you and pulling you in to a cold embrace. You kept your arms at your side as he hugged you. You couldn't help but notice that he smelled of Roses and Kerosene.

"Thank you for welcoming me." You responded as he broke away from his hug.

"I see you've already met my good friend Kyrell. He will be joining us for dinner later... come... I'll show you to your new rooms." Dorin said, putting and arm around your shoulder and leading you away. You shot a quick look at Nilly and Estrid, both of them having looks in their eyes that could kill.

"My luggage... It's..." You began, wanting to keep up a facade of naivety and vanity.

"It will be brought down by the slaves... don't worry." Dorin said.

"Slaves?" You asked.

"Yes... how else did you think we kept a place like this running!" Dorin said with a chuckle. Dorin almost forced you to link arms with him as you walked, and you allowed it. The underground palace was filled with dark, dimly lit hallways, old ancient wall tapestries, and stone statues that made your skin crawl.

Dorin cheerfully explained to you how old the palace was, that it was built by the original Sith Cultists thousands upon thousands of years ago. He pointed out the stone carvings of various dead Sith Lords. You just faked interest as he led you alone.

"Ahh... here we are... Your new rooms. Get comfortable, someone will fetch you for dinner. Until then you are not allowed to leave these rooms." He said, pushing open the creaky wooden door.

"Thank you." You said, stepping inside, followed closely by Estrid and Nilly. As soon as the door shut behind you, Nilly quickly ran up to it and secured the lock and tore off her veil and cloak.

"What the actual fuck is this place!?" She whispered.

"It's ancient... and old." Estrid said as she began to remove her cloak and veil. You began to move around the room, noting how sparse and drab it was. There was a large four poster bed, pillows and blankets. Candles were what lit up the space, and off to the side was a small 'fresher... although 'fresher was a kind term compared to what it really was.

"It's like we've been transported back in time." You say as you note the lack of actual electric lighting.

"Back is an understatement... it's like it's the _beginning_ of time in here." Nilly said.

"Let's get to work." Estrid said, looking at Nilly. Nilly nodded and you watched as your two faithful companions began o strip the room, searching for any signs of listening devices or danger. With the room secure from the inside, you watched as Estrid lifted a hand up to her ear and unscrew her earring. She pressed it three times and it began to blink.

"It's the tracking beacon. Ap'lek know's we've arrived and are unharmed." She said, putting the unassuming silver earring back on. You then watched her as she pulled her dress off over her head. Under it she wore a tightly laced corset like bodice over a simple chemise. She made quick work of the corset laces and tore the garment off before putting her dress back on.

She laid the corset down on the bed and pulled away at a paneling of fabric, revealing a small stash of deceitful jewelry. You helped her unhook everything and put them safely in the vanity that stood in the room. To anyone that came looking, it would just look like you had a vast jewelry collection.

As you were placing the final pieces in the drawer, there was a loud knock on the door, which caused the three of you to jump. Cautiously, Nilly went over and answered the door. It was your luggage.

With that safely in your room, your door was locked again, and all you had to do now was wait...

***

**_Nilly's POV_ **

Loyally Nilly and Estrid stood waiting against the far wall in the bedroom. Occasionally the two of them would share secret glances back and forth to each other. Y/N sat on the edge of her bed. She changed out of the dress she arrived in and tied her hair up with her hair pin that was actually a secret Light dagger.

Any minute now.

The waiting was agonizing.

Soon, it came. A knock on the door. Nilly went over and opened it, surprised to see that it was the same man as before. The one who had greeted them when they arrived. He looked right passed Nilly as if she didn't exist and looked straight at Y/N.

Bravely, Y/n rose to her feet and crossed the room. She gave this mystery _creature_ a half hearted smile.

"If I might be so bold as to say, you look lovely this evening, my name is Kyrell by the way. I do not think I properly introduced myself." The man said.

"Thank you, very nice to meet you." She responded politely. Nilly and Estrid took their places behind Y/N and were going to shadow her to the dinner.

"Really? Are the maids necessary? Surely they have _things_ to attend to." Kyrell said.

"You're right... E... you will accompany me and stay out of sight... N... unpack my things." Y/N ordered. _Perfect._ Estrid and Nilly glanced at each other and smirked under their veils. Now was the perfect time for some _exploring._

Nilly watched as Estrid and Y/N disappeared down the hall before she got to work. She tore off her dress she arrived in and put on an all black ensemble, it would allow her to fit in more with those mystery cloaked figures that lingered around.

If there was one thing Nilly was an expert at, it was breaking into places and sneaking around completely undetected. After checking the coast was clear, Nilly left the bedroom and clung to the shadows in the hallway. She memorized everything as she went, noting doorways and possibly exits.

As she rounded corners she tried to listen for other people in the hallways. She found what appeared to be a throne room. Various other large expanses who's purposes she did not know, and so... so many hallways.

Nilly clung to the wall as she heard a group of stormtroopers talking around the corner. Since the hallways were large and expansive, their conversations echoed in the space. She could hear what they were saying word for word.

"Change of shift?" One said.

"Change of shift." The other responded.

"Any excitement?" the first one said.

"The annoying one started singing again. Lord Dorin started _feeding_ them, so they aren't dead yet. They've been surprisingly quiet tonight, for once." The second one said.

"Alright... good to know... have a good evening." The first one said as the second one departed. Nilly watched from around the corner as the trooper took his post at the entrance to a large metal door. The entrance to a dungeon.

Nilly checked all her surroundings. She would have to trust that the shadows wouldn't betray her, and she had to trust that she had time on her side. Tiptoeing around the corner, she angled herself right in the stormtrooper's blindspot and untwisted the poison locket she had around her neck.

Carefully she poured the powder out on the back of her hand, and sneaking right up behind the trooper undetected. She blew the powder right into his helmet before sneaking back off into the shadows.

Now she waited.

It was a simple poison. Nothing that would kill the trooper, and one she had worked up an immunity too after years of use. She watched as the trooper swayed back and forth, he gripped his stomach and then....

He ripped his helmet off and vomited all over the floor.

"Hey... I think I ate something bad. I don't think I can do this shift." The trooper said into his communicator. Nilly waited a beat and watched as the trooper staggered off, leaving his post.

Nilly dashed out to the metal door and it opened right up for her.

"Cocky bastards." She chuckled to herself. These Sith cultists really did have shit security here in their palace. Most likely due to their own belief that they were untouchable. Nilly entered the long hallway and began to descend the stairs into the darkness.

The lighting was dim, as it was everywhere else in the palace. It felt like forever, but eventually Nilly began to see a bluish hue at the bottom of the stairs. When she reached the bottom she saw that it opened up into a canyon type space, with there being no ceiling and just open to the cloud haze above.

Nilly continued to cling to the wall, unsure if there were any other stormtroopers down here. So far it was silent. Echoing through the air Nilly could hear the faint sound of singing.

She recognized that voice and smiled. Quickening her pace she stayed pressed against the wall until she reached an opening in the stone that led down a hallway. Lining the hallway were stone doors with small openings in them.

Cells.

"Vicrul will you shut up!" Nilly heard Cardo say. Nilly's heart began to flutter.

_She found them._

"Oh come on. I always loved Vicrul's voice." Nilly said into the darkness. Immediantly she heard rustling and clattering as all six men shot up in their cells and rushed to their doors

"Nills!!!!" Vicrul said.

"Baby!" Trudgen shouted. Nilly ran to Trudgen's cell. Trudgen's hands darted out of the small opening trying to reach for Nilly. She took his hand and brought it to her face before leaning up on her tiptoes and pulling herself towards the opening. On the other side, Trudgen did the same, their lips meeting in a brief but passionate kiss.

From the other cells the guys whooped and hollered and applauded.

"You're here! You're really here!" Trudgen said, with actual real tears in his eyes.

"I'm here. I'm here." She replied.

"Are you here to bust us out?!" Kuruk asked.

"Yes and no." Nilly said, her eyes eventually finding Kylo's behind his cell.

"Where is she?" Kylo asked.

"Shes here... Estrid is with her now. She isn't in danger." Nilly said.

"How did he get a hold of you?" Kylo asked.

"He didn't. She came willingly. We have a plan." Nilly started.

"What do you mean she came willingly!?" Kylo said, raising his voice.

"Dorin... he had been _visiting_ her in her dreams. She got as much information out of him as she could. We are going to take him down from the inside. We have a plan! Trust us." Nilly said.

"What exactly is the plan?"

"Get close to Dorin. Make him believe she's on his side. Then when the time is right... we attack. Ap'lek is tracking us and the rest of our forces are at the ready. We just need to say the word." Nilly explained. Kylo nodded.

"How did you and Estrid get here with her?" Trudgen asked.

"We are pretending to be her handmaids. She's at dinner now with Dorin. Don't worry... she's armed and dangerous." Nilly said turning to Kylo.

"Dorin plans to _give her_ to someone else. The man's name is Kyrell Dooku. He has a red bionic eye and a half burnt face. He'll hurt her. He'll rape her. You can't let that happen!" Kylo said, his hands gripping at the opening of the cell door, his voice impassioned.

"So _that's_ the guy. Good to know. She knows all about it, we just didn't know _who_ yet. We've appeared to already have met this Kyrell guy." Nilly said.

".... she knows. She knows what might happen!?" Kylo said.

"She walked into this _fully_ knowing and _fully_ prepared for all possibilities. She's a tough cookie... I'll give her that." Nilly said.

"You _can't_ let him touch her. You can't! He'll hurt her... _badly_." Kylo said, his voice breaking.

"We won't let any harm come to her. And... like I said.... she's armed. If this ass hat tries _anything_ , I can assure you she'll cut his dick off." Nilly said. Nilly then went around to each of the Knights to make sure they were alright.

They looked rough and they had lost weight already. But they were in once piece. Nilly was beginning to get anxious, she already had spent enough time down there. She needed to head back.

"I have to go. When the time comes, myself or Estrid will get you guys out." Nilly said before stopping at Trudgen's cell to kiss him one more time.

"We'll be ready." Kylo said.

Nilly dashed down the hallway and disappeared into the darkness.

**_End Nilly's POV_ **

***

Kyrell said nothing to you as you were led through the long dark hallways of this ancient palace. You glanced over your shoulder several times to ensure that Estrid was right behind you. You had no idea what kind of environment you were about to walk into for this dinner.

Eventually your nose picked up the scent of food and you could hear music and voices. A light appeared at the end of the long dark hallway and eventually you were led to a banquet hall. All music and talking ceased upon your arrival. All around you men and scantily clad women turned to look at you. 

The men smirked as you appeared, but the women... the women had this coldness... this lack of _life_ behind their eyes that you could not explain. This whole space was a far cry from the streamlined orderliness of The First Order, no... this was the dirty underbelly of it all... and you had just walked into it. 

Long tables were set up and food arranged in the middle. People had already started dining and drinking. The space was better lit than the rest of the dark palace, but it was still dim nonetheless. Your companion, who's name you have yet to lear, guided you up to the front of the room where a long table sat with Dorin on the other side.

You watched as Dorin rose from his seat and pulled out a chair. You picked up the hem of your skirt to take the step up that elevated this head table and you sat down in the seat. Dorin clapped his hands together and the music and talking resumed.

"Welcome to my court! These are all my most trusted men!" Dorin said to you. The Knights Of Ren had been known to get rough and rowdy every once in a while, but _this_ group... this group made the Knights look like well bred gentlemen. 

You tried to keep a straight face as you watched men toss frail and fragile women around like they were nothing more than toys. You tried not to flinch as glass shattered from men throwing plates across the room. It really was a space full of debauchery and filth. 

A person, dressed in rags with their head shaven and a metal collar around their neck approached you and placed a plate of food in front of you. 

"Thank you." You said as you looked up and saw that this person was a woman... her eyes were black and blue and her lips had been sealed with ring piercings, forcing her to be silent. 

Your stomach churned.

_What fresh hell was this?_

"Not all the slaves are like that," Dorin began, "only the ones who are _mouthy."_ He said, flicking a pea off his plate towards the poor woman's direction. You gave a nervous smile and looked at your plate of food. It looked like normal meal. Roasted porg, creamed potatoes, peas, gravy; it even smelled normal too.

You tried to focus only on the food in front of you. You tried to tune out the chaos that was all around you. Turning slightly to your left you caught sight of Estrid standing up against the wall. You wondered what she thought about all this. Dorin saw you glancing at Estrid and he grabbed your hand.

"Your maid may go eat in the kitchens." Dorin said to you, sound enough for Estrid to hear as well as several slaves that lingered against the wall. You looked at Estrid and nodded to her. It was important that you kept up appearances that she was _really_ a maid, so Estrid nodded and took her leave. 

You both knew it was a gamble to leave you alone, but you had at least several weapons options on your person at that very moment. You weren't going to let anyone get the upper hand with you. 

In this environment, Dorin was loud, vulgar, and crass. He drank goblet after goblet of wine and Force pulled one of the scantily clad women onto his lap. Again you tried to keep a straight face and show no emotion as he fondled the poor woman, clearly against her will. 

You jumped and almost spilled your small glass of wine on yourself when you felt a hand reach around your chair and shoulders. You looked to your right and saw that it was a silver robotic hand, and you looked to your left and saw that it belonged to Kyrell _._ He wasn't looking at you as he rested his arm and hand over the back of your chair, instead he was looking out into the crowd of people and laughing while knocking back a glass of wine of his own. 

Nervously, you leaned forward, putting as much distance between you and his arm as you could. 

Everything was so loud and chaotic. The men in the hall were growing drunker by the minute, you could hear the whimpers and sniffles of the women crying, and the clattering of glass and silverware. 

How much time had passed? You did not know. You glanced over your shoulder and felt relief when you saw that Estrid had returned. She was looking you dead in the eyes, a sign of reassurance. You weren't alone. 

As you turned to face the chaos in front of you, you jumped when you felt a hand high on your thigh. You looked down and your initial reaction was to push it right off of you. You looked and saw that it belonged to Kyrell _._

Your shove had been strong, enough to startle him and make him spill a bit of his wine. Those closest to you grew quiet and began to stare. Kyrell looked at the wine that now stained the front of his shirt and then looked at you. In an explosion of anger he grabbed your chair and harshly pulled yours to his and gripped your wrist, the metal of his bionic hand pinching you and the force of it hurting. 

"I touch _what_ I want _when_ I want girl!" He snarled at you. You flinched momentarily out of the pain, but you remained steadfast. Shooting him a death glare right back at him.

"Touch me again and you'll need a new bionic hand." You shot back at him. Kyrell went to speak again, but your chair was tugged once more and you were pulled towards Dorin.

"I think _that's_ enough for this evening." Dorin said to Kyrell as he put his arm around you. Again you flinched back. You didn't want _anyone_ in this room to touch you. 

"Remember Kyrell... I haven't gotten a chance to speak to my dear sister." Dorin said. You watched as Kyrell got up and threw his wine goblet to the ground and took his leave.

"I think it's time we brought you back to your rooms and we had a little _chat._ " Dorin said to you. You just nodded and glanced at Estrid. Slowly you rose from your seat and Dorin offered his arm to you. Hesitantly you linked arms with him and you were led from the chaos. 

Back out in the dark hallways you found the darkness and quietness to be a reprieve. Dorin didn't say much to you, just rambling on about what had happened in the banquet hall.. You even learned that besides the slaves that you saw, the women that were there were a different kind of slave, forced into the service of _pleasure_ for the court. 

Again your stomach soured. 

This place was hell. 

"I appologize for Kyrell's behavior. He get's.... intense after a few glasses of wine." Dorin said to you as you arrived at your bedroom door.

"What did you mean when you said you hadn't gotten a chance to speak with me yet?" You asked.

"Oh... _that_... well... How do I put this delicately... I'll just come out and say it. Kyrell is my right hand, me second in command. He hails from the Dooku family, a family who has been loyal to ours since before the Empire. It's time that he was rewarded for his loyalty." Dorin began. 

You were immediately starting to put two and two together. You had not forgotten about why Dorin believed you had come. You had not forgotten what he had said about you.... _having children_... for someone else. 

"I am to be _given_ to _him?_ " You asked.

"Ahh... smart girl. Yes. You shall!" He said in eerily cheery tone.

"I see..." You respond, trying to conceal your disgust. 

"Oh... and one more thing." He said, turning to you and getting _very_ uncomfortably close. You took a step back and found your heel hitting the wall. 

"When was the last time you fucked Ren?" He lowly said.

"That's _none_ of your business!" You sternly said back, trying to push him out of your way so you could enter your bedroom. Instead Dorin grabbed you and shoved you to the wall, gripping you by your jaw. Estrid went to step forward, but Dorin shoved her back using The Force. 

"ANSWER ME." He snarled.

"Last.... week..." You choked out, tears beginning to sting your eyes. All at once, Dorin let you go. You brought your hand up to your face and massaged your jaw and gave him a death glare.

"Tomorrow you will undergo a series of health screenings. You will be confined to your chambers with your maids until those are completed. It should take a week. After that.... you're all Kyrell's." He smirked, pushing open your bedroom door, startling Nilly who was standing on the other side. He quickly grabbed you and shoved you inside, he then let go of The Force hold he had on Estrid and she immediately ran to your side. 

Dorin chuckled once more before pulling your door closed, the lock clicking in place. 

****

**A/N**

**Hi. It's been snowing a lot, and I had free time.... hence two chapters this week!!!!**

**So... the vibes for Dorin's court... I included pictures, but we are going for a medieval/dark ages/Game of Thrones/ Lord of The Rings vibe. Everything is dark, dirty, and... sticky. I know that isn't how things typically are with Star Wars, but I was thinking... like Dorin is BAD... he's BAD BAD... and he's part of a darker Sith underbelly. So I wanted things to be a bit more chaotic and unhinged for him.**

**Anywho... continue to enjoy!**

**xoxo,**

**Nia 💋**


	41. The Act

**Trigger warning:**

**Overall ickiness and violence for this one.**

You struggled to fall asleep. Estrid and Nilly were provided with thin cots to sleep on the floor on either side of your bed, but you knew that wouldn't do. Instead you made room for them in the large bed that had been provided for you. No one needed to know. 

You jumped slightly whenever you heard someone pass your door, or the creaking of the old building you were now in. Morning came quickly, and with it a loud banging on your door. You jumped awake with Nilly and Estrid rolling out of bed and onto their cots.

Without warning, a group of dark, cloaked individuals gained access to your room. You didn't know if you should scream or panic until you saw Dorin enter right behind them.

"Wakey wakey little sister." He smugly said. One of the cloaked individuals pulled your blanket off of you and reached their boney grey hand out and grasped your wrist, pulling you to the edge of the bed. 

"Just relax... these medical tests will be done quickly." Dorin said, pulling the chair out from your vanity and sitting down. He watched as these _creatures_ poked and prodded at you, taking blood samples and hair samples, they looked at your teeth, your eyes, and the insides of your ears. You felt like a prized Bantha being inspected for market.

When it was all done they filed out of your room taking all their crude medical equipment with them, leaving you to face Dorin.

"See... wasn't too bad now was it? Be ready for them again tomorrow, your breakfast will be up shortly." He said as he once again closed and locked the door behind him. And so that was that. You were once again locked in your chamber.

Meals came every few hours, but you were not permitted to leave. Estrid was smart and brought cards, so you either spent your time playing a card game or pacing back and forth. Nilly informed you that she had found where they boys were being kept, and occasionally you would go over your plans as to how to get out of here. 

It did seem rather hopeless at that point in time. Confined only to your bedroom, forced to wait for an unknown fate. 

Just as Dorin said, those cloaked creatures came the next day, and the next, and the next. You were slowly going mad with boredom and anxiety. You began to have dreams taking you back to your time as Snoke's shadow, his _Puppet._ Often times, Nilly or Estrid would have to wake you from your nightmares. 

You knew this wasn't easy for them either. You knew that since finding where the boys were kept, that Nilly longed to go see Trudgen and the others. And you knew that it was hard for Estrid _not_ to keep the line of communication open at all hours with Ap'lek. Estrid checked in with Ap'lek almost every day with short coded messages and nothing more. 

Finally, on the fourth day of your confinement, a reprieve. 

Dorin arrived, cocky and smug as usual, and he offered to take you for a "walk". Suspicious as always, you accepted. Reluctantly you linked arms with him as he led you out of your room; Estrid and Nilly staying a good ten paces behind you. 

"You'll be happy to know that your medical tests came back. You are fit as a fiddle! An ideal picture of health." Dorin boasted. 

"Well that's good to know." You responded. 

"Also.... you'll be pleased to know we ran a full genetic analysis panel on you, and by the end of the week you should be entering a good window for you to be able to conceive. Which means we can go ahead with my plans for you and Kyrell two evenings from now." The words ever so casually left Dorin's mouth. Like he genuinely thought there was nothing weird about saying them at all or even what he was planning on making you endure. It stopped you in your tracts and you looked up at him and blinked a few times.

You had to swallow your feelings of disgust and annoyance.

"Oh... how... great? I guess." You responded.

"Yes. The Bonding ceremony will be held in two days. It will be fun! An evening of festivities and the marking of a new era! Our empire will be secured and rebuilt!"

"Bonding ceremony?" You asked.

"Yes... it's... like a wedding... but not really. There will be food and music and festivities, debauchery, you name it we will have it!"

"But... dear brother... I am already married. What about that?" You quip back.

"Oh... _that...._ don't worry... as Emperor I made that little _phase_ null and void. It's been Annulled... wiped from Galactic record. It's as if it never existed."

Rage.

All you felt was rage.

You pictured your hands around Dorin's throat choking him. You pictured his face turning purple and his eyes getting red. You pictured his life fading out of his eyes as he took a final ragged breath. You wanted nothing more than to kill him on the very ground in which he stood on in that very moment. 

Yet you calmed yourself. You had a facade you needed to uphold.

"Oh..." Was all that you said. 

"The evening will start with The Bonding ceremony, then dinner and festivities, and then there will be a Bedding ceremony to ensure things go... smoothly." Dorin smirked.

"What... what does that mean?" You could have sworn your heart stopped beating for a moment.

"Oh... nothing invasive. Two high ranking witnesses will be placed outside your bedroom door. Once they are certain _the act_ has been completed, they will confirm it to me and then your bedsheets will be taken for... _examination."_ He smirked.

Again you felt rage pulse through our veins. This was sick, demented, and gross. You were utterly disgusted at the thought of this whole... _thing_. You and Dorin had been walking through the halls of the palace when he brought you back to the large banquet room. You saw that it was starting to be decorated for _your_ "big day". You gulped at seeing the expense these sick people were going through. 

As Dorin walked you back to your rooms, you were already concocting a plan in your mind. There was no way you were going to go through with it. There _had_ to be something you could do before this all happened.

***

"We need to make our move in two days. There's no other option." Estrid said to you once you were all back in your room and locked away.

"I agree." You responded.

"Did you see how they were decorating, and all the chairs and place settings? They're planning for it to be a big event. Friday might be the _best_ time to launch an attack."

"I also agree. It's ideal, a big distraction." You say as you pace the room. 

"How far do we push it though?" Estrid said.

"Right up to the very last moment." You begin, "I'll go though with this bullshit Bonding Ceremony. We'll do the dinner, and sometime during the dinner, when everyone is distracted, we'll give the word. When Kyrell takes me..." You shuttered at the thought before continuing. "When he takes me for the bedding shit... I'll be alone with him, everyone will be distracted, and I'll take him out, kill him myself. While that happens, you two work on getting the boys out, and by the time all of that goes down, our forces should be here and Shadow Watch and Dorin will be too drunk and distracted to know what hit them." 

"I like it... except the part where you're alone with Kyrell." Estrid said.

"He could easily overpower you. It's too much of a risk." Nilly added.

"A risk I am willing to take! We are running out of options and we have to DO something!" You said, slightly raising your voice. Estrid and Nilly knew you were right. They knew you all really had no other options. It was a gamble, a _huge_ gamble, but you needed to take it. 

"Alright." Estrid said, crossing her arms. She crossed the room and took out the hidden communicator that she had been using all week to send secret messages to Ap'lek. You and Nilly watched over her shoulder as she typed out the following:

**_In two nights. Rally the troops. The Act is a go._ **

***

How does one prepare for the possibility of death? What does one do in the days or hours leading up to it? This is what you thought about at great length as you paced your bedroom. 

You were desperate, you were desperate to free Kylo and the Knights. You were about to walk into fire in the hopes to do so. You were either going to be successful, or you were going to fail miserably. 

Your heart was hurting. Your mind wandering to the past several months of your life. How happy and care free they had been. How secure you felt. It was all gone now, and you had no idea if you would ever feel those same feelings again. 

Your deep thinking session was interrupted by the sound of knocking on your bedroom door. Nilly was the one to answer it and your stomach churned when you saw that it was Kyrell Dooku. 

"Good afternoon. I was hoping for some time." He said. Reluctantly you nodded and followed him out of the room, escorted by Estrid. Again you walked the halls, this time with the person whom you were going to be _bonded_ to in less than twenty four hours. 

Kyrell offered you his arm, but you declined, much to his annoyance.

"You'll learn quickly, girl, that if you just do as I say, it will go better for you." He growled.

"Forgive me, but we have only just met and barely know each other." You snarked back.

"This isn't some romance novel, Girl..." He said, this time grabbing your arm and pulling you to his side. You reacted by reaching up and slapping him across the face. He retaliated by slapping you back. Searing hot pain pulsed on the side of your face, you could already tell that there would be a little bit of bruising due to the impact of the metal of his bionic hand.

"I _will_ break you. When I'm though with you, you'll be nothing more than a shell. I don't even need to keep you _unharmed_ , just _alive._ Dorin gave me no rules, only that you cannot die. That gives me a lot of freedom to do as I please." He said, towering over you, his eyes dark with evil and terror.

"You underestimate me. I bet you're the type of man who always gets his way using fear and intimidation. You forget how I was raised. I was raised by a tyrant, a tyrant you only _wish_ you could be like. I survived it all. _Nothing_ phases me. You don't scare me." You spat back.

"I will _break_ you. All I need are the parts useful for producing children. I think I'll start first by ripping out your tongue! You were mute once before, you can be mute again." Your eyes didn't shift from his, you were determined to stare into his very soul. 

As you stared him down, images flashed in your mind. Images of how you were going to kill him.

"I already warned you once... touch me and I'll make sure you need two new bionic hands." You replied.

***

**_Nilly's POV_ **

Kyrell didn't lock the door after leaving. Making sure they were gone, Nilly dressed once more in all black and made her stealthy way down to the dungeon. This time... there was no guard posted outside the door. 

"Pssst! A-holes! You awake?!" Nilly whispered once she got to them. Immediately she heard them leap to their feet and scurry to their cell doors.

"What news?" Vicrul asked.

"Yeah, when are we getting out?" Cardo asked.

"That's why I'm here." Nilly began. Nilly found Kylo's cell. He was the only one who had not risen to his feet and gone to the door. He sat, curled up in the far corner, hidden away by shadow.

"Tomorrow... the plan is set for tomorrow." Nilly said to him. This peaked Kylo's interest and he slowly got and made his way to the door.

"Why tomorrow?" Kylo asked.

"They will all be distracted by a _festivity_... it's the ideal time and we can't push it off any more."

"What's the significance of tomorrow... _tell me._ " Kylo ordered her.

"Tomorrow... Dorin is _giving_ her to Kyrell. We are going to act like we are going through with it down to the very last minute. Once Kyrell is alone with her, she's going to take him out. It'll be then that the attack begins." Nilly said.

"No... no... you have to get us out before then. What if he..?" Kylo began.

"You _have_ to trust us. We have _everything_ in hand. Once the attack is underway, someone will free you all."

"I don't want him alone with her." Kylo said. Nilly saw in that very moment just how broken Kylo had become over this. He felt so helpless and useless. He wasn't used to not being in control, and he most certainly didn't like that Y/N was putting herself in _significant_ danger for his sake. She didn't deserve any of this.

"We are running out of options." Nilly said. Kylo knew she was right, he hung his head in defeat. All he wanted most was to be out of that cell and back with Y/N in his arms. That was all he wanted. Nilly turned from Kylo and went to Trudgen.

"Hey... come here." He said, reaching his arm out of his cell to caress her face.

"We're going to get you guys out of here. I promise with my whole heart." She said, her eyes transfixed on his. 

"I know you are. You're too good for me Nills... you really are... I don't deserve you." Trudgen said.

"You can say that again." Kuruk interjected.

"That's pretty ripe for someone who's not even man enough to tell Vyra how he feels." Trudgen said.

"VYRA!? MY FUCKING SISTER! DUDE! YOU BETTER NOT HAVE FUCKED MY SISTER!" Vicrul shouted.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Kuruk said. 

"Oh he did... and hasn't stopped thinking about it for the past FOUR YEARS!" Cardo shouted.

"I WILL BEAT YOUR ASS KURUK!" Vicrul shouted.

"Look what you started." Nilly softly said to Trudgen.

"Ehh... we all might die tomorrow. It was about time someone told Vicrul." Trudgen said.

"No one is going to die tomorrow." Nilly said.

"There's a huge possibility."

"I forbid it...." Nilly smirked before standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him through the door.

**_End Nilly's POV._ **

***

This was it.

You stared at yourself int he mirror of your vanity as Palace slaves fussed around you. Against the far wall, Estrid and Nilly had been dispensed of their duties, and instead _Slaves_ were told to get you ready. Most of the slaves had their mouths pierced shut. You wanted to hold their hands, you wanted to tell them that you were going to free them in a matter of hours. 

You already found your mind wandering towards ideas of how you were going to help these poor people. But you needed to focus, you needed to keep your head clear for what you were about to endure and go through. 

They dressed you in an all white gown that had intricate lacework. If it were any other situation you would have thought it was rather pretty, but no, to you it looked ugly. You looked up at the slave that now did your hair, her mouth pierced shut and one eye removed from her skull. What was her story? What had she done to deserve two heinous punishments?

"I want to wear this one. It's special." You said, handing her the hair pin that was a concealed Light dagger. She nodded and placed it into the braid at the crown of your head. It was then that you heard a light knock at the door.

"Knock knock!" It was Dorin. You detested how he acted like a chummy, best friend older brother. In that moment you imagined what he'd look like with your light dagger sticking out of his chest.

"Well... don't you look lovely." He said, coming over to you with his hands in his pockets and his lightsaber on his belt. 

"Thank you." Was all that you replied.

"Well... shall we?" He said, extending his arm to you. So... it was time. You glanced over at Nilly and Estrid. They nodded at you and began to follow close behind. 

Out in the hallway you heard the sounds of laughter and music echoing off the walls. It wasn't the laughter you were used to hearing, it was darker and more sinister. You felt your skin grow cold and your hands begin to sweat.

Dorin was leading you in a direction you had yet to go. It felt like forever but soon you arrived to your destination. It appeared to be a sacred space. A room filled with Kyber Crystals with one large crystal at the center. Filling the room were the dark, evil faces of everyone who was important to the High Command of Shadow Watch.

You easily found Pryde's face amongst them. And standing beside him was his pathetic wife. You huffed to yourself remembering how he didn't bring her to The Ball. Things were beginning to make total sense now that you had been surrounded by nothing but Shadow Watch.

They were evil, sick, and repulsive. They enslaved innocents, forced marriages, demeaned and abused women, and thought of children as little more than prized pawns. 

All eyes were on you and Dorin as you made your way down the aisle. People either bowing our curtsying to you and your _brother._ At the end of the aisle there was some cloaked figure and... Kyrell. 

You felt disgusted with yourself as you watched Kyrell look you up and down and lick his lips. You wanted to turn around and run, but this was it. All of this had to be done to keep up the act. 

You could do this.

When you reached the front, the cloaked person raised his boney grey hands In the air and everyone sat down. He began to speak in a language you had no knowledge of.

_Sith._

You gulped hard.

You truly were in the belly of the beast now. 

A rope was placed in front of you and it was motioned that you extend your hands. With your hands extended, Kyrell took them and held them firmly. The coldness of the metal causing goosebumps to rise on your skin.

The rope was tied in an intricate knot around your joined hands and more words that you did not understand were said. Then, the cloaked individual raised his hands high and shouted something, which all in attendance chanted back.

"Now... you walk with me. Don't make a scene if you know what's good for you." Kyrell whispered to you. With your hands still tied together, you followed Kyrell's lead, not that you had much of a choice. You walked around the large Kyber Crystal at the center of the room three times before the rope was removed and more words said.

"That it. Let's go." Kyrell said, grabbing your wrist and dragging you up the aisle all while people cheered and applauded. You were dragged all the way to the banquet hall where more people had already arrived. Upon your entrance they all cheered.

Kyrell practically shoved you into your seat at the head table and forced a glass of wine into your hand.

"Drink up... it'll numb the pain of what I'm going to do to you later." He smirked. 

You decided that this could go one of two ways. You could either be difficult and risk his wrath right then and there in the banquet hall, or... you could just give in and fake going along with it until the very last moment.

Fake it till you make it.

That was what you decided. 

You looked at Kyrell, lifted your wine glass to him, and smirked.

He'll be dead soon. 

The evening played out with as much debauchery as you a you had witnessed days before. There were slaves tossed and beaten right in front of you. Women grabbed and forced to sit on the laps of evil men. The music was loud, and your brother...Dorin... was even louder. 

Behind you stood Estrid and Nilly, both of them holding pitchers of wine to serve you and Kyrell. They already knew to keep yours empty, but his full. Every moment they could, they topped off his glass. Men were either weak while drunk, or unstoppable. You were praying to Maker that Kyrell was the former. 

You had no idea how much time passed. You ate your meal, frowned at the "entertainment" of scantily dressed women forced to dance, and you twiddled your thumbs under the table. You turned towards Dorin as he pounded his wine goblet against the table.

"NOW...... Time for the bedding ceremony!!!!" He slurred his speech. The crowd roared and cheered as Kyrell grabbed you by the back of your neck and pulled you to your feet. He then grabbed your wrist and began pulling you towards the door, stumbling ever so slightly as he did so. 

Good... his coordination was off. An advantage for you. 

You looked over your shoulder to see Estrid and Nilly following close behind. They were going to wait outside your door with the two witnesses to whatever this ceremony entailed. You also noted that Dorin stayed in the banquet hall and the festivities continued in your absence. 

Outside your bedroom two cloaked figures stood. They whispered to each other as you made your approach.

Kyrell fumbled in front of your door, eventually getting it open and shoving you inside. You made your way as far from him as possible to ensure he didn't grab you suddenly. He turned with his back to you and locked the door. 

Time seemed to slow down.

_Fake it till you make it._

You went over to the bed and sat down on the edge and faced him. He turned and looked at you with a smirk before running his fingers through his hair. He was sweaty and greasy and had food stains on his shirt. He was disgusting. 

You chuckled softly to yourself and just _knew_ in your gut that you were going to have your way. Slowly, _very_ slowly, you began to pull the skirt of your dress up over your knees. This seemed to catch Kyrell's attention.

Men are such stupid creatures. 

Slowly he staggered over to you, loosening his belt and fumbling with his pants. You pulled the hairpin out of your hair and laid back on the bed, the pin firmly grasped in your hand. Kyrell came close to you and put his hands on your knees and shoved them apart, climbing on top of you in the process.

He stunk. He reeked of sweat and alcohol, it made you want to vomit. 

He brought his hand down to fumble further with his pants, and that was when you did it.

You ignited your dagger and plunged it into his back, stabbing him over and over and over again.

He gurgled and groaned on top of you and you pushed him, flipping him over onto his back and you climbed on top of him.

"I... said..." You began, grabbing his left hand. "Touch me again..." You brought the dagger to his wrist and sliced. "And you lose..." You did the same thing with the other hand. "Your hands." 

His bionic hands fell onto the mattress with a thud. His life was already fading from how many times you had stabbed him.

"You.... you bitch!" He managed to say.

"Damn right I am." You said as you brought the dagger up to his throat and sliced. 

Sex and killing someone sometimes sounded similar. So you had that on your side. You made a few audible grunts as you hoisted his dead body higher up on the bed. You covered his body with the blankets and sheets and then jumped on the bed a few times, you really wanted to make it sound believable. 

After a good five minutes, you went to your vanity, unbraided your hair, deliberately smudged your mascara and lipstick, and then staggered to the door. Slowly you opened it and looked at the four people on the other side.

"Is... is it done?" One cloaked individual asked.

"Ye... yes. My lord has passed out from the exertion and alcohol I am afraid." You smirked. The two witnesses clapped their hands together and then turned to Nilly and Estrid.

"When lord Kyrell awakens. You will bring the sheets to the dungeon. Present them to the guard there, he will know what to do." The second cloaked individual said. You waited while they walked away and then Nilly and Estrid rushed into the room with you.

"Well I'll be damned." Estrid said looking over Kyrell's body.

"Are you ok?" Nilly asked you. 

"A little shaky... but I'm fine. Let's keep going." You said. Estrid reached for her communicator and called Ap'lek. 

"It's go time." She said into it.

***

**_Kylo's POV_ **

Kylo could have sworn he heard the sound of a single blaster shot and then the sound of blast doors opening and closing. He knew what was happening at that very moment. They all knew. Already Dorin and Kyrell had been down that very morning to taunt Kylo. Kyrell claiming to do the most vile things to Y/N. 

Kylo was laying in his cell imagining the worst. What if she failed? What if they all failed? What of at that very moment Kyrell was raping her? He didn't want to think of it but his mind could think of nothing else. 

"Hello there stranger." Kylo heard a distinct velvety voice say. Kylo turned and saw Estrid standing at the door. He watched as she managed to get the door unlocked using a set of keys off the Trooper she no doubt just killed.

"Dorin wanted us to send you a present, but our girl thought you'd appreciate something else." She said with a smile, stepping into the cell and handing him a bundle of fabric. Judging by the texture of the material, Kylo knew that the fabric was sheets. What he didn't understand was why they were so heavy. 

Kylo unfolded the bundle and broke out into laughter once he saw what the bundle contained. 

Kyrell's severed hands.

"I told her she should have cut off his dick too... but he never even got a chance to take his pants off." Estrid said, tossing Kylo the key. Kylo immediately recognized that they key was also good for taking off his force binders. 

"Let's get out of here." Estrid said once Kylo had his binders removed. The moment Kylo stepped out of his cell, he felt the ground shake beneath him and heard the sound of ships entering the atmosphere. 

Help had arrived.

**_End Kylo's POV._ **


	42. Last Stand

**_Trigger warning:_ **

**_Violence and general emotional distress_ **

**_sorry not sorry_ **

Nilly watched the door after Estrid left to go free the guys. While she guarded you, you stripped off that heinous gown and put on a more suitable all black flight suit. You worked as quickly as you could, not really knowing how much time you had.

Estrid had already sent word to Ap'lek that it was go time, and your forces had already been on standby, so it wouldn't be long before they arrived. You hoped that Dorin and the rest of Shadow Watch remained drunk enough from the festivities that it would work out to your advantage. 

Dressed and ready, Nilly tossed you a blaster and you looked back into that hell hole of a room one last time. Kyrell's dead body still on the bed where you had left him. You and Nilly needed to go hide, it wouldn't be long before the attack started and you were sure that they would come looking for you first. 

The plan was to meet up with Estrid and the guys immediately. Nilly led the way through the winding halls towards the direction of the dungeon, your heart beating out of your chest. You wanted nothing more than to be reunited with Kylo once and for all. 

You were about to round a corner when Nilly grabbed you and shoved you against the wall.

"Shit!" Nilly said. The two of you peeked your heads around the corner and saw a group of stormtroopers standing over the dead body of another trooper. The one that Estrid no doubt killed to get down into the dungeon. 

"Entrance you took is a no go.... there's troopers... was there really no other way to get down into the dungeon than to kill someone and leave the body!?" Nilly whispered into her communicator to Estrid.

"Shit... I didn't think we'd be down here that long." Estrid responded though the line. 

"You'd better look for another exit." Nilly said. You could hear something from above. Above you something exploded and dirt and debris fell from the ceiling.

"Help has arrived." Nilly said. The explosion alerted the troopers who began to panic and run in different directions. You and Nilly went to turn to run back the way you came, but you saw another group of troopers running towards you.

"This way!" Nilly said, pulling you across the hall. The two of you hugging to the shadows like your lives depended on it. The group of troopers passed you without a second thought. The original plan was to meet back up with Estrid and the guys, but now with this exit compromised, it was no longer an option. 

The entire week you had been here in this dreary dreadful place, you barely ever saw anyone in the halls. Yet now as you clung to the shadows, you began to see cloaked figures pouring out of closed doorways and hallways. Like bugs who had their shelter pulled back from them, they scurried as debris fell and explosions raged from above. 

You began to make your way back the way you came, which you knew was a very unwise decision, but you had no other choice. You were unfamiliar with the layout of the palace, and the only way you knew to get out was the way you originally arrived.

"We have to get to the surface." Nilly said to you.

"How!?" You asked.

"We'll figure it out." She said, arming herself with her blaster.

You did the same. 

***

**_Kylo's POV_ **

With Ushar finally freed from his cell and force binders the group went to head towards the exit when Estrid stopped them. 

"Its compromised. We have to figure out another way." Estrid said. Kylo nodded and began leading the way. The dungeon opened up into a canyon of sorts with a view to the aerial war being raged up above them. Kylo began to weigh the options when Vicrul shouted, noticing another hallway further along. 

Making their way to that other hallway, they saw that it was lined with more cells, but there appeared to be an exit at the end. One by one the Knights looked into the cells, noting that they were empty.

"Hey! It's our shit!" Ushar shouted over at one of the cells. Quickly using The Force, Kylo pulled apart the cell door and the knights rushed inside to grab their weapons that had been taken from them weeks prior. 

Now fully armed they decided to make their way towards the exit.

"Wait!" Kuruk said as he peered into the last jail cell. Kylo noted that Kuruk looked pale as he looked inside, wondering what one earth could be on the other side. Shoving Kuruk to the side, Kylo looked through the doorway and saw a poor withered individual crouched down on the ground. 

Lighting his saber, Kylo then used the force to pull the door apart, light flooding the cell for the first time in who knows how long. Walking towards the crouched individual, Kylo noticed that it was a man. A man dressed in tattered rags. 

Slowly, the man began to move, his eyes squinting at the change within his cell. He was old, and his hair was long, matted, and he had a knotted up beard on his face. How long had this man been here?

"Who are you?" Kylo asked. 

" _Who_ are _you?_ " The man replied. 

"I am Kylo Ren, Master of the Knights of Ren and the rightful ruler of the galaxy... _who_ are you and why are you down here?" Kylo said, stern in hive voice. 

"My name is Mance... I have cast aside my family name decades ago. I am down here at the _pleasure_ of my son... Dorin." The old man said. Kylo's eyes grew wide. Mance... Mance Palpatine... 

Kylo disengaged his saber and knelt down to look the older man in the eye.

"Would you like to be free from this prison, Mance?" Kylo softly asked.

"My whole life has been a prison. I have already lost much. Go... free yourselves."

"I'm sure your daughters would like to see you..." Kylo softly said to the broken man. The man's whole demeanor changed, he sat up straighter, his eyes got wider. Under his breath he said their names.

"Both of them. They're here, out there." Kylo said motioning towards the battle that was raging. Slowly, very slowly, Mance began to rise and Kylo noted the Force binders that were around his wrists and ankles. Carefully, Kylo removed the binders from the old man and took his leave from the cell.

Slowly, Mance walked out of his cell, the first time he had done so in over a decade. 

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

***

**_Hux's POV_ **

The Valiance jolted out of hyperspace, and mere seconds passed before The Finalizer did the same. The two ships ready, primed, and at full power.

"Laser one is fully charged." Danka said to him. He smirked at her, looking her over for the millionth time that day since she put on her new figure forming General's uniform. 

"Fire." Hux said. Immediately a bolt of red light shot out, cutting through the fleet of New Imperial ships that few in the atmosphere over Exegol. Hux adapted Y/N's technique of charging the lasers and then blasting out of HyperSpace. Instead of charging both lasers and firing them both at the same time however, he rotated them, firing one as the other recharged, ensuring an almost constant stream of fire.

Within a matter of moments, more than twenty of those super ships were blasted to shreds. Scanning the horizon Hux looked to The Finalizer where both TIE and X-Wings were beginning to scramble. 

In the other ship, Leia Organa stood in the bridge. The crew of The Finalizer now made up of a mixture of her Son's crew and her own. It took hard work, and patience, but she was able to whip both teams into working together for this important mission. To Leia, everything looked like it was going smoothly, they had truly caught Shadow Watch by surprise. 

"Laser two is charged, and Laser one is recharging." Danka said to Hux.

"Once they're charged, keep them firing, I want that fleet torn to shreds." Hux said to her sternly.

"Yes... _Daddy."_ Danka whispered for only him to hear as she walked passed, causing him to flush. Hux nervously cleared his throat and diverted his attention out the window to see that the remaining enemy ships were starting to scramble their own forces and raise their shields. They were slowly starting to lose the element of surprise. 

"Our our shields up?" Hux asked a nearby officer.

"At full capacity, Sir." The officer said.

"Alert all personnel of approaching enemy engagement within the next several minutes."Hux ordered. 

The great battle had commenced. 

**_End Hux's POV_ **

***

Chaos had completly erupted around you. People were scrambling everywhere. You began to notice the guests from the Banquet now flooding the halls, which meant that _somewhere_ Dorin was out there. 

You and Nilly continued to hide amongst the shadows, but it was growing more and more difficult. You tried to follow the crowd of people, hopefully they knew where there was an exit. The dark hallways with their dim lighting growing more and more crowded by the moment. You had no idea where these people were coming from. 

"Once we get up to the surface, we can call for a transport." Nilly said to you.

"YOU THERE!" You heard a stern voice shout, both you and Nilly turned and saw that it was Pryde. You had been caught. Revealing your blaster you took a shot at him, but missed. He then revealed his and began to open fire on you, separating you from Nilly. 

You dove behind one pillar and Nilly dove behind one on the other side of the hallway. All around you people were now aware of your presence. Now putting two and two together over the fact that your arrival here and the attack was no coincidence. 

Attention was solely on you and not Nilly. To these people, Nilly didn't matter. You were severely outnumbered. 

Across the hall, Nilly had to make a decision. Did she go to you or did she try and go find help. She brought her communicator up to her mouth to try and radio you, but you answered first.

"Go... find help... I'll be fine." You say. Nilly had to be confident that you were going to be ok, taking her chance she darted into the shadows once more, desperate to get help down here.

You took a deep breath and composed yourself, stepping out from behind the pillar with your hands over your head, you began to fake cry.

"I'm so sorry! I have no idea what's going on! I was so scared, I just ran." You fake cried as Pryde approached you, his blaster still pointed at you. Again, you played a dumb damsel in distress, hoping to all that was good that Pryde would buy it. Pryde stepped forward and grabbed your arm, twisting it behind your back. Genuinely you flinched because of the pain. 

"Save your tears for your brother!" He spat at you.

Off in the distance, Nilly stopped and waited, waited to see what Pryde would do. She watched as Pryde dragged you away, back towards the banquet hall before she turned to follow the crowd. 

As Pryde dragged you through the halls, he said nothing. You tripped a few times, but he didn't care. He was pulling you back towards the banquet room, the banquet room which was now left in shambles. 

At the center of the room, Dorin paced back and forth, fuming with rage. Pryde shoved you forward, and you stumbled falling onto your stomach at Dorin's feet. Dorin leaned down and with his bionic arm, lifted you up by your hair.

"You little BITCH! You think you can two time me! I opened my home to you! I offered you purpose!" He began screaming in your face. He then threw you down on to the ground.

"Sir! The prisoners... they've broken out!" You heard a distressed voice say from the entry way of the banquet hall.

"FUCK!" Dorin yelled before grabbing you by the hair again and pulling you to your feet. You hadn't noticed before, but Dorin's six henchmen, the same ones he arrived to The Ball with, gathered around.

"You three... get her to the The Pod... and you three come with me!" Dorin spat. He shoved you into the waiting arms of three of his henchmen and you flinched with fear. Their hands grabbed you and hoisted you up, taking you away kicking and screaming.

They were much stronger than you were, so it was no use trying to fight it. As they pulled you towards yet another dark corridor, you relaxed, instead going with them, trying to buy yourself time.

You hadn't noticed this hallway before. It was narrow and dark. One of the henchmen walked in front of you and the others were behind you. As you descended the hallway, the light became increasingly dimmer and dimmer. It almost reached a point where you were walking in pitch black darkness, the sounds of your footsteps and breathing echoing off the arched stone walls. 

You needed to act. You needed to get out of here and soon. If they took you any further, you risked the possibility of not knowing how to get back. This entire palace as a dark labyrinth, a maze full of dark deeds. 

You took one sharp breath in, and pulled your Light Dagger out of your pocket.

***

**_Ap'lek's POV_ **

Ap'lek made landfall on the planet's surface. Decked out in his helmet, armor, and Battle Axe, Ap'lek was ready to do some damage. Flanked on either side by Rey and Finn and their ignited Lightsabers, Ap'lek pressed forward. 

The team made their advancement towards the palace, Ap'lek's tracking device on Estrid pinging loud and clear. They cut or shot down anyone who stood in their way. Out of the dark palace, people scurried like rodents, fleeing from the surprise attack like the cowards they truly were. 

Ap'lek didn't care who they were, what they wore, or the fear in their eyes. He allowed the dark side of The Force to flow through his veins as he cut down the enemies. They overtook the entryway of the Palace easily.

Overhead ships flew and a battle raged. It was clear at a place that _their_ forces were winning, conquering over Shadow Watch with ease. Ap'lek turned and glanced up at The Valiance, watching as its lasers cut through more Shadow Watch ships and vessels. 

They advanced further, pressing on into the palace. They saw how the ground opened up and that the palace instead went downwards. Out of the shadows, Ap'lek caught sight of a familiar figure running towards him.

Nilly.

"The guys are out, but they took her! Pryde grabbed her!" Nilly said.

"Take me." Ap'lek said.

All at once, they all followed Nilly into the darkness. 

**_End Ap'lek's POV_ **

***

**_Kylo's POV_ **

The whole place was confusing. It was like a maze, and no matter where they went, it felt like they were walking in circles. All they could do was try and follow the sound of explosions and battle. 

They hadn't seen a single person or creature at all when the hallway they took to get out of the dungeon opened up. Still they pressed on. 

In the darkness, they tried to follow their senses or the faint sounds of voices, but it was no use, things echoed too much. Any light that their eyes caught was disorienting. It was like this entire place was built for torment. 

"This way." Kylo heard Mance say. It appeared as if the man began to gain an understanding as to where they truly were. Allowing Mance to take the lead, Kylo followed.

"The girls... they're really here?" Mance asked. 

"Yes... yes they are." Kylo responded.

"How do you know them?"

"Rey.... Rey is my friend... and Y/N... she is my wife." Kylo softly said. This caused Mance to stop in his tracts as he stared at Kylo with a deeper understanding of the situation. Mance had not been entirely kept in the dark as to what went on outside his jail cell. There had been a few sympathetic stormtroopers who answers his questions or told him the latest gossip over the years.

"She was so young when they took her. I tried... I tried to keep her safe, but she snuck out of the house. They grabbed her before I could do anything." He choked. 

"It's not your fault." Kylo said as the old man pressed on.

"And Rey... I did the only thing I could think of. They were coming for us again, there was no out running them. So I did what I had to do..." He began again.

"You left her on Jakkuu." Kylo interrupted.

"It was no easy decision, but it was for the best. I... I used the Force to... to hide her mind. I had hoped it would keep her safe, keep her away from conflict." He said shaking his head.

"How did Dorin get you?" Kylo asked.

"When they came the third time... they killed my Ry'la... there was no point in running anymore. They had already taken so much. Taken all the people that I truly loved. So I gave in. They threw me in that dungeon and forgot the key." Mance said as they turned a corner. 

They turned down yet another hallway, at the end they could see light. This urged them on. They all quickened their paces, running even towards the light. 

Eventually things opened up, and the color drained from Mance's face. 

They had entered a throne room of sorts. And high above their heads, the ceiling... or lack there of... was open to the sky and the battle that raged above. They all were mystified by what went on above them. TIE fighters and X-Wings fought along side, every few moments a large beam of red laser cut the sky open, and explosions echoed.

A dark laugh that echoed through the whole space finally brought them back to their senses. 

Kylo turned and in the distance he saw Dorin appear, flanked by three of his henchmen and several stormtroopers. All at once, everyone took their fighting stances. Estrid grabbed Mance's arm and pulled him behind everyone else, shielding him herself. 

"So... you caught me by surprise... just like I caught you by surprise." Dorin laughed. All weapons were pointed towards Kylo and The Knights. They were completly surrounded. 

"I guess we're even then." Kylo retorted. At the same exact time, both Dorin and Kylo ignited their sabers and began circling each other like vultures. Behind them The Knights were at the ready, sizing up their would be opponents. The troopers still had their blasters pointed at them and the henchmen were beginning to inch their way closer. 

Estrid pushed Mance backwards towards the wall behind them. She looked down at her communicator and saw a blinking red light, and smiled. 

A single shot rang out in the darkness and all hell broke loose. Bursting into the room, Ap'lek, Rey, and Finn began engaging the troopers. The knights lunged on the henchmen, and Kylo and Dorin began their fight. 

The troopers were easy and quick to cut down. Dorin now saw that he was severely outnumbered. Taking a deep breath in, he raised his hand and shot lighting out towards The Knights, incapacitating them.

Ap'lek managed to jump behind a pillar, his eyes frantically looking across the space towards Estrid where she too sat behind a pillar with Mance. Rey and Finn too managed to dodge the lightning.

Kylo shielded himself, reaching deep within himself into a place he had long forgotten. A place deep inside his mind, reaching out into the force, a side of himself he hadn't touched in years. The Force flowed through him giving him the strength and power to use it as a shield from Dorin's attack. Absorbing the power of the lightning instead of being hurt by it. 

He looked around and saw The Knights writhing in pain. 

And then he saw a darting shadow. 

One by one Dorin's henchmen fell, killed by the quick hands of that darting shadow. 

Dorin's attentions changed and he locked eyes on that little shadow.

_Nilly._

Dorin reached out with the force and flung her across the room, her slight frame hitting the far wall, her now limp body sliding down and coming to a rest on the ground.

Mustering all the strength he had left in him, Trudgen rose to his feet and charged Dorin. Dorin was quicker, sending Trudgen flying in the same direction as Nilly, his unconscious body coming to a rest beside her's. 

The lightning ceased and Rey, Finn, and Kylo began to circle Dorin. Yet Dorin seemed totally unfazed. In fact, he almost seemed amused by the whole situation. 

Rey was the one to lunge out first, her saber meeting Dorin's.

Again, Dorin seemed unbothered as he was now three on one. Using The Force yet again, He pushed Finn, sending his body hurdling up against a wall, knocking him unconscious. This startled Rey, her eyes leaving Dorin for the slightest moment. Dorin seized the opportunity and shot lightning at her. 

Rey's screams filled the space as she fell backwards in agony. She came to rest beside Vicrul, who, with what little strength he had left, reached out to her and took her hand. 

Now it was just them.

Just Kylo and Dorin. 

Kylo and Dorin jumped towards eachother at the same time.

The clashing of their sabers echoing in the darkness.

**_End Kylo's POV_ **

***

You emerged from that dark hallway. The light dagger lighting your way. It was easy to take down those three henchmen, you were swift and cunning. Your little laser blade slicing right through them like butter. 

You wondered what the last thing that went though their mind was.

Surely it had to be shock as you plunged your blade into their chests. Surely they could have never in their wildest dreams imagined that they would meet their end at the hands of a little girl. Yet they had. 

They died like cowards in that hallway. You didn't even give them a chance to fight back. 

You made your way back to the banquet room and that was when you heard the sound of lightsabers clashing. You could also hear the sound of the battle being raged above, but you needed to focus on the lightsabers.

"Estrid... Nilly... I'm here." You spoke into your little communicator.

"Oh thank Maker! Where are you!" Estrid's voice came through loud and clear.

"I was taken on a little detour, where are you."

"Throne room. Dorin and Kylo are fighting, The Knights... they aren't looking too good. Ap'lek is trying to figure out a plan."

"I'm on my way." You say before clicking off the communicator. You remembered your way to the throne room, following the sound of the sabers you went. You were at the end off the hallway with a clear view of the Throne room and the fight that raged between Kylo and Dorin.

There had to be some way you could help. 

You could see the Knights on the ground injured and barely moving. You could see Ushar trying to crawl to Cardo. And you could see the limp... almost lifeless bodies of Nilly and Trudgen. You didn't know if they were alive or dead, but already you were fearing the worst. 

You caught sight of Ap'lek huddled with Estrid and another man whom you did not recognize. So far no one had noticed your presence yet. 

Clinging to the shadows you went. Maybe... just maybe you could get close enough to make a difference. You had to be hopeful. 

As you worked your way forward, your foot hit a discarded hand blaster. You held it in your right hand and your light dagger in the other. 

In secret, you entered the Throne room and darted behind a pillar, buying your time to work your way closer. From across the room Ap'lek saw you, and Ap'lek knew instantly what you were trying to do.

He looked at Estrid and pulled her into an embrace. Allowing her no time to protest, he fled the safety of the pillar and made a full on charge at Dorin. This distracted both Kylo and Dorin slightly, stopping their fight momentarily, but with only the flick of his wrist Dorin sent Ap'lek flying backwards, his back cracking against a stone pillar.

Dorin then turned, and to your horror.... his saber went right through Kylo's chest.

You turned away, hiding yourself behind the pillar and pressed your hand over your mouth as tears threatened to flood your eyes. 

This wasn't over.

This couldn't be over.

Rage consumed you. Everything... everything you had been through... all the pain... all the anguish... all the sorrow... all the anger.. It coursed through your veins.

You jumped out from behind the pillar and began shooting at Dorin. You hit him, once... twice... three times, even knocking his lightsaber out of his hand; but it did not phase him.

Kylo was on his hands and knees gasping for breath. He turned his head and saw you. He saw you advancing, your aim perfect at you hit your target every time. Yet it was no use. Dorin was unfazed. 

Using The Force, Dorin lifted you off the ground and brought you to him, choking you until your throat met his hand. He knocked the blaster out of your hand, but you were quicker.

You were so much quicker. 

You ignited your light dagger and plunged it into his abdomen. His eyes wide with shock. 

And then you pulled _up_.

You pulled the dagger upwards no doubt causing irreparable damage.

He dropped you, falling to his knees. His hands reaching for his abdomen as his entrails began to fall out of him.

He looked up at you, utter shock on his face, as if he couldn't _actually_ believe you had done this. You could see the life fading from him. Good. You wanted him to suffer.

You lifted your leg up and kicked him, pushing him forward, causing him to fall flat on his face. 

You heard as he took one final gurgle of breath.

You then ran towards Kylo. He had shock on his face. 

Was he in pain?

You could tell he was struggling to breathe. 

You tried to compose yourself as you sat down on the ground and pulled him to you. Holding his head to your chest. You heard as he softly uttered your name.

"I'm here... I'm here." You said

"I... I love you." He struggled to say.

"I love you too... but you're going to be ok... I promise." You said, fighting back your tears. You honestly had no idea if he was going to be ok or not. 

"No... no I'm not." He choked out. You looked down to see that he was crying. 

Time... you wished you had more time. More time with him in this very moment. More time with him in life. _Just more time_. But it was fleeting. It was slipping though your fingers like fine sand and there was nothing you could do to hold on to it. You squeezed him tighter to your chest and brought your lips down to his.

You kissed him like it was the last time... because you genuinely felt like it was the last time. 

You could hear boots and marching approaching from behind you.

You could hear someone running towards you.

You even heard Hux's voice shout:

_"I found them!"_

But none of that mattered. You kept Kylo In your arms as you kissed him for what you knew deep down was the last time.

A shadow appeared above you, but you did not care. You broke away from the kiss only to look deeply into Kylo's eyes. You weren't going to let go.

That was until you were forced to let go.

A man whom you did not recognize pushed you and pulled Kylo off you.

You watched as he pressed a hand to Kylo's chest. 


	43. Always Known

**_Mance Palpatine's POV_ **

Life was never easy for Mance. As a boy he was raised within the ranks of the Empire. Tossed around from guardian to guardian and had no actual relationship to his father and never knew who his mother actually was. His whole life he was raised to believe that his sole purpose was just to "continue the line". As a teenager he was forced into Imperial Service.

His older brothers belittled him, verbally abused him, made him feel like nothing. He was _forced_ into service. _Forced_ to beleive in the superiority of The Empire and The Dark Side. Deep down he always knew it was wrong, always knew it wasn't the path for him.

At still a tender age, he was forced to marry. A marriage was arranged for him and with blasters pointed at his back, he wed his first wife. She was still but a girl when he was forced to marry Petra, the daughter of some Imperial General. In the early years they got by, affection grew between the two in due time, but soon the questions came.

Although it was never meant for Mance to be the sole surviving heir to the Palpatine empire, he still had to do his duty. He _had_ to produce children.

The same day that they received news of the destruction of the second Death Star and the fall of the Empire, Petra also learned that she was pregnant. In that moment, Mance made a decision. It took some convincing, but Petra went along and they fled. Fled the grip of what remained of The Empire and the Sith Cultists. They ran to where they never thought they would be found.

The years went by peacefully.

They were happy years.

Happy until the likes of Luke Skywalker and The Rebel Alliance came sniffing.

Happy until he learned of the formation of Shadow Watch.

Mance moved his family time and time again in an effort to keep them safe. What he didn't count on was that Shadow Watch somehow got to Petra. She sold the family out. Convinced that she... or her children at least... could possibly have all the power they wanted.

She was deceived.

They killed her.

They took Dorin.

And all Mance had left was a fresh new baby girl swaddled in his shirt as he watched his homestead burn with his wife trapped inside. There was nothing he could do. So he ran again.

He refused to settle, instead spending years in space. Landing his ship only to refuel and resupply. But as his little daughter got older, he knew that space was no place to raise a child. So he debated settling again.

He came to a small rural planet and at the local general store he met a beautiful, and kind woman named Ry'la. Mance was raised to believe that love was fiction, that it was the work of fairy tales, but the moment he laid eyes on Ry'la.... it was love at first sight.

As for Ry'la... she adored the little girl Mance carried with him. It didn't take much for her to love the man as well.

Mance was open and honest with Ry'la about his background and where he came from. He at first _didn't_ want to marry her, but _she_ wanted him. She didn't care if she had to spend her life running in the galaxy, _she loved him._

Again Mance wed, but this time there were no blasters at his back. This time he was proud, he was happy, _he felt safe._

Again the years passed uneventfully. Mance never forgot about the son that he lost. There even was a brief time that he tried to look for that child. But he knew... deep down he knew that there was no way he would ever be reunited with Dorin. At least, not the Dorin that _he_ knew. For by then, Mance knew for a certainty that the evil sway of The Dark Side and The Sith most likely had a firm hold on the boy.

It was never Mance's and Ry'la's intention to have another child. It just happened, but despite the surprise of it, they were thrilled. Mance knew right away, he could sense it while the child was yet born that the little one would be force sensitive, and it terrified him. They had had a prolonged period of peace and security, so maybe... maybe he thought that they could be safe.

Yet that was not to be. A new enemy came for them, an enemy that he had never heard of or dealt with before. 

_Snoke_

She was older than Dorin was when they came. He tried to explain to her the importance of always staying near the family and never venturing out the house, but she was a child, and she was showing a sprit of independence. It wasn't her fault. Mance couldn't reach her in time. 

They took her too, and all Mance and Ry'la could do was run.

By then, Mance was starting to break down. He only kept going for the sake of Ry'la and little Sola-Rey... whom they just started calling Rey. They were his sole driving factor at this point. 

They were all that he had left. 

But then Shadow Watch... the Sith... all of them. They reared their ugly heads again, and Mance had to make a decision. This time he wanted to be the one in control. So he left Rey on some remote desert planet, using the force to wipe her mind of who she truly was, who her parents were. He hoped and prayed that would be enough. He hoped and prayed that they would only come looking for _him._

So when they caught up with them. 

When he looked his then... teenaged son in the eye for the first time in years. 

When they shot and killed Ry'la in cold blood. 

Mance gave up. 

They had truly taken _everything._

Now, Mance crouched in the darkness. Chaos raining down around them, and he watched. He saw them... his two girls. How alive they were. How strong they were. 

He didn't know who to go to first. Who to take up into his arms first. Yet when he saw the utter heartbreak and horror on his daughter's face as she held Kylo Ren close. The same heartbreak and horror he had felt so many times.

He knew what he had to do...

**_End Mance Palpatine's POV_ **

***

**Mance played by Jared Harris**

You were dumbfounded and in shock as to that was happening. You had just been shoved away from Kylo, watching as a stranger grabbed Kylo and press his hand to his chest. Your first instinct was to remain calm, you were not frightened. 

You stared at this stranger long and hard, _something_ about him was familiar. You were having a hard time making out his facial features through the long matted hair and beard. You leaned forward on your knees, trying to get closer to Kylo.

You watched as Kylo's breathing became less labored, and with wide eyes you watched as the hole in his chest slowly healed itself from the inside. Awestruck, you looked up at the stranger and he finally locked eyes with you.

 _And you knew_.

_You instantly knew._

"Father?" You questioned. 

"Yes... yes my darling." The man responded. You were frozen with utter shock and disbelief. You didn't know what to do with yourself. You found that tears were stringing your eyes, emotions were crashing over you all at once, it was overwhelming. 

Slowly Kylo sat up, pressing his hand to his chest, relieved and totally healed. The pain he had been in moments before completely gone. Kylo looked between you and your father and then back at you. 

He looked you over, noting the distressed look written all over your face. He knew you were frozen with your overwhelming emotions. He reached out to you and pulled you into an embrace, all while turning towards your father.

"Thank you." You heard Kylo choke out, but not to you. You felt another hand on you... your father's hand... as he moved a piece of hair out of your face so he could look at you. But you remained frozen in utter shock and disbelief. 

All around you chaos still rained. What remained of the aerial battle still raged high above and scattered all around you were the injured bodies of your friends. You noticed that Resistance fighters and your own troopers had entered the space, rushing to attend to whom they could. All the while Kylo rocked you back and forth, running his hands over your head trying to calm you down. 

You needed to get your bearings. You had to help your friends. The fight totally wasn't over yet!

As the shock wore off you pushed away from Kylo so that you could face him and look him in the eye. His face was soft for you, a smile spread over his lips. You couldn't help but smile back at him.

"There's my girl." He said before kissing you again, the kiss further calming you down from what you had just endured. 

"Are you hurt? Are you ok?" You said through sniffles and tears, looking over his body and pressing your hands to where the lightsaber wound had been.

"I am now." He said with that wide toothy smile that he only ever gave to you. You noticed that he was looking around trying to find where your father had gone. You followed Kylo's gaze and saw him sitting on the ground cradling Rey in his arms. Again fear flooded through you, was Rey alright? 

You didn't want to leave Kylo, but you needed to check on Rey and the others. Kylo let go of you and began to get up, pulling you to his feet. The two of you rushed over to where Rey and your father were.

You were only slightly relieved when you could see Rey's chest rising and falling with each breath. Whatever injuries she had, your father was healing her. You watched as Rey abruptly sat up and looked at your father with a bewildered look on her face. You then watched as he brought his hand to the side of her head.

Your eyes were fixed on Rey's face as you watched a multitude of emotions wash over her. You then realized what was happening.

_She was remembering._

"Dad!" She cried out, throwing her arms around his neck and embracing him tightly. You then fell to your knees at their side. Rey then reached out to you and pulled you close, the three of you embracing all at once. You couldn't tell if it was you that was crying, or if it was Rey or your father. All three of you were crying, indescribable emotions overtaking all of you, flooding you with feelings that were just overwhelming to bare all at once. 

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... will you ever forgive me?" He said to the two of you.

"What is there to forgive?" Rey softly replied. You watched as a sob left your father's mouth and tears poured down his cheeks, wetting his beard. You glanced at Rey and she glanced back at you. You couldn't tell if you reached for her first or if she reached for you, but either way, you two were hugging. 

Through the chaos and the shouting and the marching, you heard a low groan and a shuffle against the hard stone floor.

"Vicrul!" Rey said, quickly crawling over to him and pulling him on to her lap.

"Did you beat my ass again?" He groaned.

"No... no... it wasn't me this time." Rey chuckled.

"Good... I like it better when _you_ beat my ass." He chuckled. 

"Where are you hurt?" You heard Rey ask.

"My ankle." Vicrul responded. You began to look around and noticed that troopers and resistance fighters were going around to each and every one of your friends. You noticed a large group of them were around where Nilly and Trudgen lay. As you assessed everything, you noticed that your father had moved on, going over to Cardo and trying to help him up. 

Your eyes scanned the area looking for Kylo and that was when you saw him on his knees with Estrid and Ap'lek. A feeling of dread overtook you. Patting Rey on the shoulder, you got up and rushed over to Kylo. You were a few yards away when you saw Estrid's tear stained face and bloodshot eyes. She was kneeling down with Ap'lek's head on her lap.

"You'll be ok. We have the best. Don't panic." You heard Kylo say.

"I can't... I can't _feel_." You heard Ap'lek choke.

"I know... I know... We'll get it fixed. Don't worry." Kylo said, taking Ap'lek's hand and squeezing it intensely between his own. 

"My..." You began to say as you turned to point towards your dad, but then you noticed that he was sitting down beside Ushar now, his skin pale and out of breath. It then dawned on you, whatever power he had to heal... it _took_ from him.

"This... this would be too much for him." Kylo whispered to you. You understood.

"MEDIC!!! WE NEED A MEDIC!" You screamed turning around seeking help from anyone that could provide it to you. Two stormtroopers heard you and immediately ran to get more help, but deep down... deep down you _knew_... it was going to be too late. 

"Do... do you remember that mission to Ryloth? The one where we got into that horrible fight?" Kylo softly asked Ap'lek, you couldn't help but notice the tears that were threatening to spill out of Kylo's eyes.

"Fuck... I wanted to kill you... I called Estrid during that trip.... I...I told her you were a punk ass little bitch baby." Ap'lek struggled to speak. 

"And what did I tell you?" Estrid began, herself struggling to keep more tears from falling from her own eyes. 

"You... you said... _help him Ap'lek..."_ Ap'lek responded. 

"That's not all I said." Estrid sniffled before running her fingers through Ap'lek's hair. "I told you to help him because why?" She added.

"Because he... he reminds you of... _Cade."_ Ap'lek said, his voice fading now. Tears spilled over your eyes and you crawled over to the other side of Ap'lek and took his other hand. You watched as Estrid choked back sobs while staring up into the sky, all the while her fingers tenderly massaged Ap'lek's scalp. You then turned to Kylo, who now was silently sobbing clutching Ap'lek's hand to his face.

"I'm... I'm going to see him... I'll see Cade.... _our boy."_ Ap'lek said with a smile on his face. 

"You... you hug him for me. You tell him his mama loves him very much." Estrid choked out.

"Estrid...I...I..." Ap'lek tried to choke out.

"I know Love... I've always known... and I will love you always." She said, leaning down and pressing her lips to his. You watched as what you could only describe as _relief_ wash over Ap'lek's face. One long last breath left his body... and you knew he was gone. 

In utter disbelief you all sat there. You felt his hand go limp in yours, and as if it was all happening in slow motion, you saw Estrid fall over and a cry of total despair leave her body. Kylo took slumped over feeling this loss deeply, sobs coming from him that made his whole body move up and down. 

The whole arena was quiet as all eyes looked towards you all. You were frozen. Shocked. Shock was all that you felt, all that you could feel. You saw as Hux and several stormtroopers rushed over to you, but it was too late, there was nothing that could be done at this point. 

You looked up into the sky and saw that the fighting had ceased. 

***

Things were no less chaotic back on board _The Valiance_ all around you people were running and rushing to and from their posts. Injured Resistance fighters and Stormtroopers were being brought in and out. And all around you people seemed to be shouting numbers and orders. 

You slowly made your way to the Medbay, keeping your arms crossed over your chest. Vicrul, Ushar, Cardo, Kuruk, and Finn... they would all recover, their injuries were minor. Trudgen and Nilly on the other hand, they were in surgery. Both of them had suffered severe concussions and had several major broken bones. 

Your reunion with Kylo had been cut short. You already knew he wasn't taking Ap'lek's death well. Heck, _you_ weren't taking Ap'lek's death well. You couldn't even begin to imagine what Estrid was going through. You had come so close to losing Kylo, the thought caused your stomach to churn. 

You also felt guilty.

Kylo was here and now Ap'lek was not.

It felt like a life for a life. 

It felt cruel. 

You paced the halls of the Medbay, looking into each of the rooms as you passed. The medical personnel were hard at work tending to everyone. You paused when you passed Vicrul's room, noting that Rey was sitting on the edge of his bed laughing with him. That, at least made you smile. 

You heard the sound of clicking heels approaching you from behind and when you turned you saw that it was Leia. Before you could say anything, she pulled you into a tight embrace.

"You did it... You did it and I am _so proud_ of you." She said as she squeezed you tightly. 

"It doesn't feel like it right now." You said, once again trying to choke back tears.

"Where is he?" She asked, a look of grave concern on her face.

"I think going over things with Hux... we lost.... we lost Ap'lek. Kylo was very close to him." You said, looking down at your feet.

"He was married wasn't he? We shouldn't let his wife be alone. That isn't right." Leia said, taking your hand and pulling you along. It was like she instinctively knew where to go because it wasn't long before you two found Estrid. 

She was sitting alone on a bench in the middle of the medbay clutching Ap'lek's helmet on her lap.

Slowly and cautiously the two of you sat down on either side of her. Carefully you put your arm a around her and urged her to lean on you. She did.

"I had always known it would be like this. From the moment I met him I knew it would end like this... but still... still that doesn't prepare you." Estrid said, her eyes not once leaving the visor of Ap'lek's helmet. 

"What do you need? What can we get you?" You softly asked her.

"Nothing... I'm alright... just... just walk me back to my rooms?" She said softly. The three of you rose and went to leave the medbay when you saw Kylo enter.

"I'll take Estrid back to her rooms, she and I can chat... you go take care of _him._ " Leia said, nodding over towards her son. You nodded and hugged Estrid one last time before Leia linked arms with her and began walking her away. Slowly you turned to face Kylo.

"We won. Pryde is dead and the deflected fleet has now either surrendered or been destroyed." Kylo said.

"Good... Good..." You said, nervously pulling at your own fingers.

"Are you ok?" He softly said putting an arm around you and tugging you tightly to his chest.

"Just... it's all settling in. How's Trudgen and Nilly?"

"I was just told they are out of surgery, they're doing well." He softly replied.

"Good... good..."

"Come on... let's get out of here." He said keeping you close as he moved you down the halls. You felt like you were floating as you weaved your way through the ship and back to your rooms. 

When the doors to your rooms shut behind you, it felt like you had entered another dimension. The chaos and horrors that you had recently endured seemed both very far away and very near. Silence began to set in as you began to slowly remember what happened, what you did. You reached into the pocket on your thigh where you had put your Light Dagger. 

Turning it over a few times in your hands, you replayed all that had happened. You remembered the look in Kyrell's eye as you stabbed him over and over and over again. You also remembered the look on Dorin's face as you plunged the dagger into him. 

_Life_... you had taken life away from people. 

Part of you wanted to feel happy. You wanted to feel relieved. They were evil people. They were responsible for your son's death, for Ap'lek's death. Yet, it didn't feel like a victory. You didn't feel like you had triumphed. 

Taking the dagger you threw it away from yourself, the metal clanking on the ground and sliding away from you.

"Hey..." You heard Kylo say he slowly approached you with his arms extended. Eventually pulling you tightly to his chest.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I don't know... are you?"

"I don't know either."

"Let's go lay down." You said.

"That sound's like a good idea." He responded before wrapping his arms ever so tightly around you. He the leaned down and kissed you passionately, almost like he was kissing you for the first time all over again.

"I missed you." He softly said.

*********

**A/N**

**Hey. How are ya'll doing? Sorry for pulling out your hearts again!!! But we have defeated Dorin! The bad guy is dead!**

**Any who... I hope this chapter was alright. I can't wait to start wrapping our story here up! Stay tuned!**

**xoxo,**

**Nia 💋**


	44. Loose Ends

The battle had been won; but the war had not.

It was true you were triumphant over the forces over Exegol, but a few of your enemies scattered in the galaxy. By killing Dorin you had essentially killed the cause and anything Shadow Watch stood for, yet they were dying a slow death.

What was that saying? Kill the head and the body would follow.

The body was proving to die very slowly. You were prevailing, but it was not without stress. 

You sat in your office overlooking reports that came in over night. _Both_ you and Kylo were busy in the two weeks following the initial battle. The two of you barely had time for each other, only coming together to pass out in each other's arms in bed every night due to exhaustion. 

Grief weighed heavily on your hearts over Ap'lek, not a day had passed that you both didn't shed tears. Nilly and Trudgen were recovering, and the rest of the Knights and others had been released from the Medbay. No one had time to _really_ recover... or mourn. If they could stand and walk, they were needed for duties. 

_The Valiance_ and _The Finalizer_ were still undermanned, even with the aid from The Resistance and other allies. Everyone needed to pitch in where they could. You were on a man hunt for what remained of the few high ranking members of Shadow Watch that escaped. 

Only months ago peace and unification seemed right within your grasp. Now, it appeared to be very far away. You could tell Danka was staring at you as you just blinked down at documents, you weren't even reading them, everything was a blur. You were just staring.

"I have the obituaries typed up." She softly said. You sat back in your seat and blinked a few times, clearing your mind of the slurry of thoughts that constantly bombarded it. 

"Oh... that's right." You replied. In addition to hunting down the remaining enemies, Kylo... on behalf of Estrid... requested that funeral arrangements be made for Ap'lek. Estrid wanted him cremated, in fact it was already done, but she also agreed to a formal service. 

Ap'lek was to be honored for his years of service. 

Danka rose from her seat and brought you over the six options. You read them over and selected the three you liked the most.

"I'll take these down to Estrid and she can pick." You said, getting up from your seat.

"Very well. Is there anything you need from me?" Danka kindly asked. You could tell that Danka was feeling the stress too, she was dividing her time both as a new general and _still_ as your personal assistant. You were going to need to rectify that soon, it wasn't fair for her to have to deal with two jobs. 

"No... go do what you need to do." You softly said. You made your way out of the office and down towards Estrid's room. Taking a deep breath you knocked on the door. Waiting a moment, the door finally slid open.

Her hair was down, she was dressed in a long silk robe, and her face was free of any makeup. She looked pale, and slightly gaunt, but she looked good.

"Hi... is now a good time?" You softly asked.

"Are those the obituaries?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Come in." She said stepping aside. The rooms were just as you remembered, an eclectic combination of Estrid and Ap'lek's things. You checked in with Estrid every single day, and she was doing well... as well as a person possibly could be in the situation. 

You also knew that the guys were constantly checking on her. None of them letting her ever take a meal alone. They each rotated making sure she had someone to eat dinner with. It was a sweet gesture, and one you knew she deeply appreciated.

You followed Estrid to the living room area and she motioned for you to sit down. You then handed her the documents and sat in silence as she read them over. You tried to read the emotions on her face, but they were void of any. Estrid had no tears left to cry.

She had spent years... decades even... preparing herself for the inevitable. Being a _wife_ of a Knight fo Ren came with the high probability that one day they weren't going to come home, and Estrid knew that, she knew it from the very beginning. You sat there admiring her, admiring her for her poise and grace over everything. You already knew that if you were in her shoes, there was no way you would be so poised and graceful about it all. You would be a disaster on a war path set for destruction. 

"I like this one the most. It's less robotic." She said handing you the one she selected.

"I agree. I thought you would like it." You said taking it from her.

"How are the preparations going?" She asked.

"We have only three or four more Shadow Watch officials to track down, but once their locations are confirmed we will return to Naboo and hold the funeral there. Hux seems to think that we'll be able to return by the end of the week." You said, folding the document up and sliding it in your pocket.

"Good. I really appreciate you and Kylo handling all these small details... it... it takes the stress away." She sighed.

"We're happy to do it. Anything for you." You said, reaching out and taking her hand.

"I think after the funeral... I'll go back... home... to our home planet. I don't want to be a burden to you all now."

"No! You could never be a burden! And you don't have to go home, you can stay as long as you want. You always have a home here with us! The guys view you as the mom of the group, to be honest they behave more when you're around." You said squeezing her hand tightly this time.

"I don't know. I'll think about it." She said.

"Well... I won't keep you any longer... who's coming to dinner with you tonight?"

"Vicrul... Maker I'll need a nap before that one comes over to talk my ear off." She chuckled. 

"That you indeed will!!!!" You chuckled. You hugged Estrid tightly before taking your leave. You went directly to the bridge where Hux, Kylo, Danka, and... your father... had gathered. 

It still was such an alarming sight, seeing your father out and about. He was now all washed up and freshly shaven. He was still frail looking, it would take weeks, if not months of recovery for him, but he was strong. He proved to be a valuable asset when hunting down the remaining Shadow Watch leaders. 

_"I kept my ears open down in that dungeon... nothing escaped me."_ He had said. All four individuals turned to look at you as you walked towards them.

"Any updates?" You asked.

"We might be heading back to Naboo sooner than we thought. We found the last four. They were trying to seek asylum on Ryloth. Fortunately authorities there apprehend them for us. My mother is on her way there now to make the arrests, and tie up any loose ends." Kylo said, putting an arm around you.

"That is such great news." You sighed with relief. 

"We have a few last details to go over, do you mind?" Hux said to you, motioning towards Kylo indicating that Kylo and Kylo alone was needed. You nodded your head and your brief moment with your husband was interrupted. Kylo, Hux, and Danka walked away to speak privately leaving you with your father.

Deep down you wanted things to be happy and "normal", but there was such an awkwardness between the two of you. The trauma you both had suffered, it weighed heavily.

"How are you today my darling?" Your father asked. He always called you Darling, you didn't mind it, it was endearing and in a way comforting. You also knew it was what he called you as a child as well. 

"I am well... tired.... but well." You said, leaving up against the window looking out to space. "How are you?" You asked.

"The same as you I suppose. Each day is a bright new beginning."

"I agree." You smiled. For a moment he smiled back at you, his smile slowly fading.

"You look just like your mother." He solely said. 

"Do I?" You asked. You had been thinking about your mother a lot lately, you had been brought up to speed by your father in recent days over what had transpired with him, Dorin, your mother, Ry'la, and Rey. All of it. Part of you blamed your mother for everything, for selling you out, for being the reason Shadow Watch got to Dorin.

"Yes... She was a kind soul. She really was. I don't want you to think I ever thought ill of her. We both were... slaves to the system at the time. We did the best we could for years... but it was exhausting. I believe Shadow Watch played on her weakness, her exhaustion over it all. I don't want you to blame her for doing what she did. She was deceived."

"I don't blame her... but I can't help but wonder if any of _this_ would have happened." You said just motioning to the space around you.

"I know darling, I know. But we cannot dwell on the past, we must look forward. The galaxy is yours now.... and Kylo's.... it's in the hands of who it's meant to be in. The Force made sure of that." He said with a soft smile. You looked down at your feet and bashfully smiled yourself.

"Do you.... _like_ Kylo?" You softly asked. You didn't know why, but you thought it was important that your father at least _liked_ Kylo. You suddenly felt very childish for asking.

"Of course! Great kid... a little rough around the edges. But so far I like what I see." He said.

"Good I'm glad." You smiled just a you felt a presence over your shoulder.

"We have confirmed the last official's apprehension. We can head back to Naboo." Kylo said, appearing at your side.

"That's such good news." You sighed. 

"Well I'm going to head back to my rooms, I'm old and need a nap." You father chuckled.

"Oh, alright, we'll see you soon!" You said as he slowly began to walk away.

"Walk with me?" Kylo softly asked, taking your hand. 

"Always." You softly replied. The two of you leisurely walked the halls of The Valiance taking the long way back to your rooms. You asked Kylo about details pertaining to the apprehension of the last few officials, but he didn't want to talk about that.

"I haven't had a moment's peace with you these last two weeks." He sighed tossing his head backwards looking up at the ceiling.

"I know... I know..." You replied, squeezing his hand tightly. 

"When we get back from the funeral... I owe you a weekend away in the country... just you and me." He said.

"I would like that... a lot." You giggled. Kylo dropped your hand and reached his arm around your shoulders, seamlessly pulling you into his side as the two of you walked. The two of you fell into a comfortable stride walking at the same pace as you got closer to your rooms. 

When the doors to your rooms came into sight, Kylo leaned down and scooped you up into his arms, fully intending to carry you the rest of the way there. You couldn't stop yourself from giggling as his hand found out butt and started playfully pinching it. 

Kylo was _just_ about to hit the button to open your room doors when Kuruk appeared around the corner clearing his throat.

"Sorry to interrupt whatever... _this...._ is, but Trudgen and Nilly are being discharged from the Medbay. Dr. Petick is asking for signatures from you, Sir." Kuruk awkwardly said as you and Kylo both shot him a death glare for interrupting the most intimate moment the two of you had had in two weeks. 

"Alright.... I'll head down now." Kylo groaned, lowering you to your feet. 

"Should I come? I should see Nilly." You said.

"No... they asked for no visitors... at least right now." Kuruk said. 

"Oh..." You awkwardly replied.

"I'll go sign the paperwork and be right back... I promise." Kylo said to you with a wink. You smirked and watched as he walked away with Kuruk, turning back once to look at you. You waited until he was out of eyesight before you went into your rooms.

You tried to wait up for him. You really did. But... sleep got the best of you, and when he returned he found you curled up on the bed slightly snoring. 

**_***_ **

**A/N**

**Hey guys. I am so sorry for the short filler chapter. I dare say.... it is now time to start wrapping up From The Shadows! I know. I know. We can all cry together. But fear not!!! If you haven't checked out my new Kylo fic "The Oath" I strongly suggest you do!!!**

**I really dislike this chapter, but I needed to add details and put a final nail in Dorin and Shadow Watch's coffin. Also I didn't have much time for writing this weekend. Without getting into it too much.... my husband and I had a little mini health scare over the weekend which took my mind off things. We are 100% fine now and it was just a scare!**

**any who,**

**love you all!!**

**xoxo,**

**Nia 💋**


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